MORE THAN LOVE
by January
Summary: What if the love between Edward and Bella was stronger than soul mates and imprinting combined. This story starts on Bella's first day of school in the lunchroom. Similar to book but then takes off on its own. REVIEWS ARE GREAT AND APPRECIATED!
1. Chapter 1

This story starts on Bella's first day of school in the lunchroom. You will notice similarities from the book, but it will only be for a while. Eventually this story will leave the book altogether. I DO NOT OWN THE CHARACTERS STEPH DOES. I JUST BORROWED THEM FOR A WHILE.

_**Chapter 1**_

I have never been comfortable around large groups of people, nor have I ever fit into any particular group of my peers. Today as a new student in a small school, not to mention being the police chief's daughter, I have become the center of attention; something that I hate completely. Honestly I would rather have slivers shoved under my fingernails; it would be less painful to me.

I sat down at the lunch table with Jessica, Mike and some other kids that I couldn't remember the names of. I looked around noticing the different clicks that seem to be in every school, silently wondering which one I allowed myself to get involved in.

Then something caught my eye. Across the room sat five of the most uniquely beautiful people that I had ever seen. Breathtaking would be the correct way to describe them.

It seemed like Jessica knew the rundown of everything here, and she enjoyed talking so I turned to her and asked, "Who are they?" This sort of surprised me right away because I had never done anything like that before, but I had to know.

Jessica started giving me the story of the Cullens, I heard all of the names; Edward, Alice and Emmet Cullen and Jasper and Rosalie Hale; but she didn't specify which was which. I was staring at one of them in particular. He had reddish brown hair and the face of an angel. Even though I know how inappropriate it is to stare like that, I couldn't look away from him. He looked over at me for a second and then looked away just as quickly, he looked bored. Jessica's story continued for a minute. I wasn't paying too much attention to her.

Then he looked over at me again but didn't look away. I felt the blood rush to my face and butterflies in my stomach; odd I thought. "Which one is the boy with the reddish brown hair?" I asked Jessica when her rambling ended.

"That's Edward Cullen." she answered. Then she went into how gorgeous he is and how he doesn't date, because none of the girls in this school were good looking enough for him. As she was telling me this I was peeking over at him and swore that I saw him smile as he turned his head away. Had he heard us, impossible I thought.

As he was looking away I examined them all again more closely. They were all very pale, fitting for a place like Forks, where the sun never seemed to shine. That is how I fit in perfectly here, because despite the fact that I grew up in Phoenix Arizona, where the sun was always shining, I never had a tan. My skin was almost as pale as the Cullens.

But it was Edward that I couldn't take my eyes off of. 'Perfect timing for your first crush' I thought to myself. Shaking my head I pulled my eyes away from him. I had never been interested in anyone before, so I couldn't quite understand the feelings that were going through me right now.

After lunch, one of the girls that I was sitting with, Angela, walked me to my next class. It looked like there was only one empty seat, and my heart stopped when I saw that it was next to Edward Cullen. Slowly I walked down the aisle toward the teacher's desk. I walked through the flow of hot air coming from the heater. It felt nice, like I was back in Phoenix for a second, I had been cold since I arrived in Forks. I looked over at Edward as I passed him, and was shocked to see the expression on his face. He looked back at me like he wanted to kill me. There was so much anger and hate on his face that it made me a little frightened, but mostly curious. How could he hate me, he didn't even know me. As strange as all that was I couldn't believe that I had the butterfly feeling in my stomach again. I sat down in the chair next to Edward with a stiff body. Part of it was the fear that his glare had sparked in me, but the largest reason was because I didn't understand what my body was so strongly reacting to. Just sitting next to him made the butterflies that I was feeling felt like they were a swarm now. Carefully I let my hair fall between him and me so he couldn't see me blushing. Truthfully, what kind of sane person would blush when someone was looking at them like they wanted to commit murder? I must have lost my mind.

Toward the end of class I allowed myself to peek over at him. He was still staring at me with hatred filled eyes. Still the fear that I knew I should be feeling didn't show itself. I looked away again feeling the blood rushing to my face. When the bell rang he was out of his seat and out the door before anyone could move.

I went to my next class, Gym, with Mike leading the way because he has gym also. Mike asked me what I did to Edward to make him behave that way. I faked like I hadn't noticed. Gym passed by with me in a daze. When the bell rang, I headed to the front office to turn my paperwork into the schools secretary.

When I opened the door to the office I saw that Edward was at the counter talking to the secretary. After listening for a moment I realized that he was trying to get out of Biology class. His voice was like nothing I had ever heard before. It was like he was singing. Last hour I had tried to convince myself that it wasn't me that had made him so angry. I thought that it must have been something that happened just before I got to class. Had he noticed the way I stared at him? Is that why he was trying to get out of a class where he had to sit next to me?

The door opened behind me, and a girl dropped off something on the desk and left. Edward slowly turned to look at me with the same hatred. He politely thanked the secretary for trying to help him. He sounded like an angel singing when he spoke.

As he hurried out of the room, he passed inches from me, closer than he had been in class, and I could smell the most delicious sent that I had ever smelled. I wanted to follow it, to follow him. Ask him what his problem was with me. But I knew that if I tried to speak to him I would just gawk at him like an idiot. So I just stood there shocked for a moment.

I wrestled all night with whether or not I should talk to him, or apologize for staring at him like a childish little school girl. I was beginning to become angry with myself. What has come over me all of a sudden? I finally decided that I would speak to him, in an attempt to clear the slate. I just wanted to be sure that it wasn't because of me.


	2. Chapter 2

_**Chapter 2**_

All morning I was dreading lunch, where I knew I would see him. But when I got the cafeteria I saw his four siblings were sitting at the table, but he was not with them. I sat with Jessica at Mike's table, getting tenser by the minute waiting for him to arrive, but he never showed. The part of me that feared his hatred glare disappeared and was replaced with sadness and longing. I wanted to see him again, even if he hated me for unknown reasons. Then that small part of me worried that I was the reason for him not being there. I thought about that as I headed for my truck. The rest of the day seemed to go by very fast. I thought that maybe I wronged him in another life or something. When I got to the parking lot I saw the Cullens and Hales heading to their Volvo. Alice, (I remembered Jessica telling me was the dark haired girl), was walking a couple of paces behind the rest of them.

Something dropped out of her bag that she didn't notice. I wasn't very far away and I saw my chance, so I picked it up. Wondering where this new found courage came from I called out to her, "Alice." I said continuing to walk towards her. She stopped and took a second until she turned towards me smiling. She is absolutely beautiful, I thought. Then I noticed that the others, Jasper, Rosalie, and Emmet were staring at us. They were already at the Volvo. "Um, I think you dropped this," I said as I handed her the notebook. I felt a little uncomfortable with the others looking at us.

"Oh, thank you, I didn't even notice I had dropped it," she said, her voice sounded like a chorus singer, but she was only talking.

"You're welcome," I replied.

"You're Chief Swan's daughter aren't you?" she asked. Of course I knew that everyone knew who I was, but this still stumped me for a moment.

"Yes," I said "I'm Bella."

"Well it's nice to meet you Bella," she exclaimed.

"It's nice to meet you too Alice." I wanted to ask her about Edward, why he wasn't in school today. But I was unsure how to do it.

"It's too bad we don't have any classes together. It would be nice to have someone new to talk to." When she said this to me my literally fell opened for a second. This was the opening that I was looking for and she blurted it out like she knew where I needed the conversation to go. This was going to be too easy I thought.

"Yes, it is too bad. Um, I think I have a class with one of your brothers, Edward." I said to her trying to find a way to ask why he wasn't there today. Then she did it again.

"Oh you may, but he won't be in school for a few days. He's not feeling quite like himself right now, "she said with a grin.

How did this girl know exactly what I came over here for? "Oh, well I hope he feels better soon," I said. I know that I felt a little better. She said he would be back in a few days, this information made me way too happy, then confusion set in because I didn't understand why I felt so happy. The way my emotions were flying around made me feel; mental was the only word that I could come up with.

"Hey, thanks again. I better get going. They're waiting for me, she said nodding toward the Volvo. "I'll talk to you soon," she added, and I knew that she meant it.

"No problem and I look forward to it," I responded. In that second I realized that I meant it too. From this quick nothing of a conversation I liked her.

"Bye."

"Bye," I replied a little stunned. I never liked anyone this quickly before.

I slowly stumbled my way to my truck and got in. I was reeling over how that conversation went. She told me everything I wanted to know without me having to ask, like she knew what I wanted.

I drove to the store and picked up some groceries for the house. My mind was consumed with thoughts of Edward. When I got home I put the groceries away in whatever place I could fine. Then I started dinner. While dinner was cooking I checked my email. My mother was becoming frantic because I hadn't sent her an email since I got here. So I replied to her before she sent the FBI out to look for me. I left Edward out of the message.

Charlie was happy that we were having steak and potatoes for dinner. We ate in silence for the most part. Neither of us were uncomfortable or even bothered by the quiet. I think he was just trying to make small talk when he asked me how school went. I told him about Jessica, Angela and Mike. Then I couldn't help but ask him about the Cullen family. I told him that I notice that the kids don't fit in very well at school. He then went into the longest speech that I had ever heard him give. Telling me that the people here just don't accept outsiders very well, and how Dr. Cullen was a great man.

Then I told him that the kids were all very good looking. "You should see the doctor," was his reply to that. He said the nurses had a hard time concentrating around him. Then it was quiet again while we finished dinner. I cleaned up the mess and went to finish my homework.

I fell asleep quickly that night. My dream were filled with the images of Edward's glares of hatred. Still, there in my dreams, I wasn't afraid of him. I felt like I was where I needed to be.

Uneventful is the only word to describe the rest of my week. Each day I watched anxiously as the Cullen's entered the lunchroom without Edward. It made me feel empty, like some part of me was missing.

Though I hadn't spoken to Alice again since the day I picked up her notebook for her, she would always smile and wave hello to me, which I returned. Jessica didn't like that one bit. She didn't say it out loud but I could tell that she didn't like one of the Cullen's interacting with someone, especially if it wasn't her.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Chapter 3**_

The weekend passed by without incident.

On Monday I was greeted in the parking lot by faces I recognized but I couldn't remember all the names yet. When leaving my first class of the day I was astonished to see that it was snowing. I grumbled to Mike about it a little. Everyone else seemed to be cheered by the snow, throwing snowballs at one another. I avoided that fairly well, keeping my binder ready to use if needed.

When I got to the cafeteria with Jessica and Mike, I glanced over to the Cullen table out of habit. Then I stood there frozen like a statue. There were five sitting there instead of four. I couldn't stop myself from looking at him. He was so much more beautiful than I remembered in my dreams. There seemed to be something different about him, but I couldn't place it just yet. I was glad that he wasn't looking over in my direction, that way I could appreciate his beauty without him noticing. The butterflies came back and I could feel the blood rushing to my face. Jessica asked me what I wanted for lunch. The butterflies were making my stomach feel weird so I just got a soda. Then Mike asked Jessica if I was alright. I assured him that I was, just that I felt a little sick. I went quietly to the table with them sipping on my soda. I tried to make myself not look over at the Cullen table but failed miserably. Mike kept asking me if I was okay, and I considered playing it up so I would miss my next class, Biology with Edward. But one more glance over to his table and I pushed that thought out of my head.

When I looked over at their table they were all laughing and enjoying the snowy day, just like everyone else here. I thought that Edward looked like an angel when he was glaring, boy was I mistaken. He was absolutely glorious when he was laughing; it made me want to cry. My breathing and heart rate picked up, and the butterflies were so active that I thought they would fly out of my mouth.

"Bella, what are you staring at?" Jessica asked, intruding on my gawking at Edward. In that second he looked over to our table. His eyes slid past Jessica and landed on mine. For a minute I couldn't look away. He didn't look angry; he looked more like he was trying to hear me. He looked curious. I still couldn't look away. I felt like I couldn't breathe. Both of us were staring at one another with an intensity that would normally make someone run for cover. Slowly I looked down at my soda can. What is it about him that does this to me, I wondered.

After a couple of minutes Jessica interrupted my internal ranting with, "Edward Cullen is staring at you." My heart started beating so hard that I thought it would come out of my chest.

"He doesn't look angry does he?" I asked her, keeping my eyes averted away from his table.

She told me no and asked if he should be. I just told her that I didn't think that he liked me very much. The butterflies in my stomach were making me feel a little queasy so I put my head down on my arm. She proceeded to tell me that the Cullen's didn't like anyone, or notice them enough to like them. Then I remembered how nice Alice was so I knew that Jessica didn't have all her facts straight. Then she told me that Edward was still staring at me. I told her to stop looking at him and she did. I caught myself almost looking over at his table again throughout the lunch period.

As I walked to Biology my stomach was doing flips at the thought of sitting next to him again. I was relieved and disappointed when I got to the classroom and the table was empty, he wasn't there. I took my seat and began doodling on my notebook, keeping my eyes away from the door. I heard the chair move next to me and tried to concentrate on keeping my breathing even. I focused on the doodle pattern that I was drawing, willing myself not to look at him.

Then his musical voice spoke, "Hello." This made me jump a little in my seat, but not out of fear. It was because the butterflies went into a frenzy.

I slowly looked up at him. In that moment I felt peace. His face was open and friendly, and he was smiling. I couldn't do anything but stare at him.

"My name is Edward Cullen. I didn't have a chance to introduce myself last week. You must be Bella Swan."

Trying to get a grip on myself I asked him how he knew my name. He told me that the whole town had been waiting for me to arrive, which was something that I had thought my first day here. Then I stupidly persisted with "No, I mean why sis you call me Bella?" Then he asked if I preferred Isabella. I told him no, but I was sure that Charlie had used Isabella instead, that was what everyone else here knew me as. I didn't really care; I just wanted to keep him talking so I could hear his voice. He said, "Oh," and that was it. I couldn't think of anything else to say. Then class was called to attention and Mr. Banner told us to start on our lab for the day.

""Ladies first?" he asked. I looked up at him and got completely lost in his eyes. I couldn't form a thought for a moment.

I was sure he thought that I was mental when he said, "Or, I could start if you wish."

I felt the blood rush to my face and stammered out, "No, I'll go first." I took a deep breath and tried to calm myself down and focus on the lab. So when I looked into the microscope I was positive, "Prophase." I told him. Then still nervous I started to remove the slide, and he said, "Do you mind if I look?" as he put his hand on mine to stop me from removing the slide.

Here I thought that my life had already been completely changed just by seeing him. But when his hand touched mine it was like magic. My entire body came to life; I could feel every cell in my body. Thought his hand was as cold as ice, the heat from his touch coursed through my entire body. I stared at his hand on mine for a second while by breathing and heart rate became uncontrollable. I was in shock, completely amazed by this sensation that was enveloping me.

"Wow," I exclaimed. Did I just say that out loud?

As I looked over to meet his gaze he slowly pulled his hand off of mine. He looked just as surprised as me. Then I quickly looked down, hiding my face with my hair.

I couldn't understand any of this. First was the way I kept looking at him like an infatuated little teenage girl; which in truth maybe I was. But from the first moment I saw him, it was like he was the center of everything in my life, then the sound of his voice, singing like an angel. Then his sent, drawing me closer to him and now with his touch, sending my body and thoughts into a thousand different directions at once. What is this? Is it just my imagination? Is there something wrong with me? I have never heard of anything like this before.

"I'm sorry," he said interrupting my internal ranting.

Uncontrollably I muttered out, "Don't be." I didn't want him to be sorry for something that was so amazing.

"Why?" He seemed to ask just as uncontrollably as I had just spoken.

I looked up into his eyes and couldn't help myself; I had to tell him the truth, all of it. I wanted to, which is weird because this is something that I would normally keep locked up inside. Maybe it was the way his eyes seemed to have hypnotic powers over me, I wasn't sure.

"That was amazing. I've never felt anything like that before or even heard of it for that matter. It was like an electric current going through my body, very warm and comforting. Even though your hand is cold, your touch was hot, like a burn but not painful." I was sure that I had said too much. He looked uncomfortably baffled by my confession.

"I'm sorry," I told him. "If I made you uncomfortable by saying all that I mean. It's just that it was so unbelievable," I added.

"You didn't make me uncomfortable," he said with an unreadable expression. "It felt exactly the same way for me. I wonder what this means?" He said the last part mostly to himself as he looked away. I knew that I had already said too much anyway, so why stop myself now.

"I don't know, I was just thinking the same thing."

He looked back at me, and my embarrassment finally kicked into high gear. Feeling the blood rush to my face I looked down and faced the front of the classroom. My breathing still had not returned to normal. I stared down at my hand still in awe of what just happened and tried to regulate my breathing and calm myself. Needing a distraction I suggested, "We better get this done."

As we completed the lab speaking one word at a time I didn't allow myself to look at him. I was still thinking over all that just took place. It is a good thing that I had already done this lab in Phoenix, so I didn't need to concentrate on it very much. We finished rather quickly. Some of the other students seemed to be having a little trouble with the lab. I was glad to be done so I could mull things over. Absentmindedly I traced my hand over where his hand touched mine. I looked over at him and he was looking at me too with a concentration that I couldn't quite place, it was like he was trying to hear what I was thinking somehow.

Gazing into his eyes I finally noticed the change in them.

"Did you get contacts?" I blurted out without even thinking about it.

"No," he said and looked a little amused by my question.

"Oh," I said, "Your eyes were black my first day here, and now they are a golden brown, and hypnotizingly beautiful." Why can't I keep my mouth shut? He shrugged and turned to look straight ahead. Now I've done it I thought. He probably thinks that I am completely crazy, I sound crazy, and maybe I am. If I hadn't made him uncomfortable before, he certainly was now.

Mr. Banner came and checked on our progress; honestly I wasn't paying much attention to him. I was listening to Edward's musical voice.

I was feeling like a complete idiot so I began to doodle on my folder again. Why had I said all those things? What is it about him that makes me want to tell him everything?

I was relieved when Mr. Banner called the class's attention for the days lecture. I took detailed notes even though I had sat through this lecture before. The whole time I was fighting the urge to look at him, to touch him again. When class ended he fled the room like the first day. Only now I knew for sure that it was because of me. The knowledge of that didn't ease the sting of his flight.

The remainder of the day had passed by in a daze. When the final bell rang I quickly went to my truck, avoiding looking up at any faces.

I got in and started my truck, turning the heat on all the way to get the chill out of the cab. Once the cab of my truck was warmed a little I looked around, checking to see if it was safe for me to back out. That is when my eyes locked on his. He was looking at me, but he didn't look angry or revolted by my ramblings in class. I felt heat go through my body again; almost as strong as when he touched my hand. This sent my heart and breathing into an accelerated state again. I couldn't look away. I was relieved when he did, releasing me from his gaze. He looked over to his brother Jasper who was staring at me with wide eyes and confusion on his face. He looked away from me and toward Edward. This was my cue to leave. I threw the truck into reverse and began to back out, narrowly missing Erin Teague's car as I hit the brakes. After he drove away I checked twice, making sure it was safe before I pulled out. I didn't let myself look over at him as I drove by, I was too embarrassed.

All the way home I thought about the expression on Jasper's face when he looked at me. Edward must have told him about what happened in Biology. This doubled my embarrassment.

When I got home I threw myself into the hefty homework load that I had. After I finished I headed downstairs to prepare dinner. This kept my mind busy enough that I didn't think of Edward; too much anyway. It was like he was in almost every thought I had. There was no rhyme or reason for the way I felt about him. Yet I felt drawn to him in an almost unnatural way. Here in his absence, it felt like a part of me was missing.

Charlie got home just as I put the food on the table. We ate dinner mostly in silence, just the usual small talk. Which was good because I had a lot on my mind. I cleared the table, put the food away and did the dishes after we finished eating. Then I headed up to my room after saying a quick goodnight to Charlie.

I decided to take a hot bath to calm myself, and I hoped that it would make me sleepy enough to fall asleep fast. It worked, but I found myself thinking about Edward as I drifted under.


	4. Chapter 4

_**Chapter 4**_

When I woke the next morning, the first thing on my mind was Edward. I was hoping that I didn't freak him out too much with my honesty and ramblings yesterday. I got ready for school and headed to my truck. I grumbled as I noticed that there was a thin layer of ice covering everything. I drove to school being extra careful. When I pulled into the parking lot and came to a stop I wondered why I didn't have any trouble driving in these conditions. As I stepped out of the truck I saw something shiny that caught my eye. When I went to the back of the truck to check it out, I saw that there were chains on my tires. Charlie must have put them on before he left for work this morning. This made my eyes water, I wasn't used to being taken care of.

Then the sound of loud squealing tires caught my attention. In that second I knew, just knew that they were heading for me. As I looked up to see where this sound was coming from, I saw Edward looking at me with his eyes filled with terror.

The thought of never seeing him again was agonizingly painful. I turned to look to my approaching doom, a van out of control heading straight for me, silently pleading for it to stop so I could see him again, hear his voice, smell his delicious scent, and feel his exhilarating touch. I love him I thought as something hit me, but not from the direction that I was expecting. The van was still coming at me. Everything seemed to be moving in slow motion, yet nothing had ever been so clear before. Whatever hit me knocked me down as I felt strong protective arms wrap around my waist. The arms dropped me and caught the van before it could crash into us. Then the hands shoved the van away, and as it fell back toward us one hand caught the van while the other wrapped around my waist pulling me from under the van swinging my legs around so they wouldn't get crushed. Then the van dropped, crashing to the pavement withal the windows shattering at once.

For a fraction of a second I looked at the van, and then turned to look at what held me tightly to its side. It was Edward, he saved me. It felt like my heart would explode from the excitement and pure joy of seeing his face again, the face I never wished to look away from again.

In the second I looked into his eyes I knew, everything. I knew what he was, a Vampire; and I knew that it didn't affect the way I felt about him. All the pieces clicked together like a puzzle that I hadn't been trying to put together. But I knew the truth of it regardless, it all flashed before me.

His black eyes from the first time I saw him; the way he looked like he wanted to kill me that first day, thirst; how he disappeared; the color change of his eyes from black to golden brown; his beauty; his smell; his voice; the way he speaks as if he were from a different time; his cold skin; his magical touch; how he never ate or drank anything; and now his incredible strength and speed. He's a Vampire, and I don't care. I loved him with every cell of my body.

These revelations came to me so quickly that it startled me and I took in a gasp of air. The glass from the van was beginning to touch the ground now.

He looked at me with frightened eyes and asked, "Bella, are you okay?"

"I'm fine." I said as I caught the scent of him in my face. I felt my blood boil up inside and couldn't stop myself from leaning in closer to him placing my lips on his. His lips were cold and hard yet they felt soft and warm on mine. Like his touch before I felt my body come alive. His lips moved with mine for a moment until something occurred to me; the only thing that could possibly pull me away from his lips. I had to protect him, his secret.

I pulled away looking at him placing one hand on his face and asked him. "Can you get out of here without anyone seeing you?"

He stared back at me with a look on complete shock on his face. I would have explained everything; how I knew what he was, how I felt about him, but there was no time just now to have a discussion about it.

"Go Edward, Go." I ordered

Still perplexed he made a slight move to leave. I grabbed his hand, and that same feeling from the first touch almost distracted me, but I pushed it away and said, "Just please don't disappear again." With the same look on his face he was gone in a blur.

After a couple of seconds I heard the cries of horror from the other students. They were yelling my name and asking if I was alright. Though the ground was cold and it took a while for them to get me clear of the mangled mess, I decided to stay put where I was. No one else knew that I wasn't hurt at all in the accident, well aside from a bump on the head anyway.

A neck brace was put in me and I was loaded on to a stretcher, which I hated. I scanned the faces of the crowd and was saddened when I didn't see him anywhere. But I saw Alice. She looked at me and smiled, I smiled slightly back at her. I knew then that she knew that I knew everything and she was not disturbed by it. I wanted to talk to her, to ask her if Edward was going to be okay with it or not but just then I heard my father's voice. "Bella," he called frantically. "I'm fine Char—Dad." I told him. "There is nothing wrong with me." Of course he didn't take my word for it. He turned to the EMT's and demanded more information. I was loaded into the ambulance and taken to the hospital.

As I awaited X-rays to rule out internal damage, Tyler was next to me, feeling guiltier than he should. He kept apologizing every other minute. Even if Edward hadn't saved me, it was an accident.

"Don't worry about it," I told him. "I think today we were both lucky." HE kept apologizing anyway.

After my x-rays I was waiting to be seen by a doctor before I could be released.

A few minutes later Dr. Cullen came through the door. I know his beauty shouldn't have surprised me this way, but I gapped at him with my mouth opened for a second before composing myself. Charlie was right.

"Isabella Swan," he greeted me as he looked at my chart.

"Bella," I said to him.

"Well Bella how do you feel?"

"I feel fine."

After looking at my x-rays he began examining my head.

"Tender?" He asked me when I winced as he touched where I hit my head.

"Not really," I told him, I'd had worse.

"Your x-rays look good. Your father is in the waiting room, you can go home now. But come back if you feel dizzy of have trouble with your eyesight," he instructed.

"Can't I go back to school?" I asked him trying to imagine Charlie being attentive.

"I think you should take it easy today," he answered.

I nodded in agreement reminding myself that I need to keep Edward's secret; or I should say the Cullen secret safe.

I got up too fast and stumbled forward. As Dr. Cullen caught me I noticed his touch, it was the same as Edwards but also so much different. It was hard and his skin was cold, but his touch didn't do the same thing to me that Edward's did. I thought that it was a Vampire thing, but I guess not. I looked up at him and he looked concerned, "I'm fine," I assured him.

He told me to take some Tylenol for the pain and signed my chart. "It sounds like you were very lucky." He said to me. I wondered if he was checking to see if I would keep this secret.

"In more ways than one," I replied in a whisper as I nodded. My whisper was too low for anyone else to hear. Then he turned to Tyler telling him that he would have to be there longer.

As I headed for the door I stopped and turned toward Dr. Cullen. I began to whisper too low for anyone else to hear, but I knew that he would hear me perfectly.

"Dr. Cullen, Tell Edward that I said Thank you. I am sorry if this puts any of you at risk or anything. I swear to you that I won't tell anyone anything. Just please don't let him disappear again. I love him." That last one got his full attention. He glanced over to me with his eyes wide. I looked back at him and knew that he saw the truth of what I just said to him. He nodded slightly; in agreement I hoped.

Then I turned and walked to the waiting room. It was more unpleasant than I could have imagined. I think that every face that I knew in Forks was there. Including Alice, I was so happy to see her. I want no need to talk to her. I assured Charlie that nothing was wrong with me. I told him that I saw the doctor and he said I could go home.

Alice came over to where we were standing. Charlie looked at her and I could tell he had the same reaction as everyone else about the beauty the Cullen's seem to have. But he got over it quickly. "Dad, this is Alice Cullen, Alice this is my dad Charlie."

"It's nice to meet you Alice." Charlie said to her.

"It's nice to meet you too Charlie. I am a friend of Bella's from school and wanted to make sure she was alright. I am so glad to see that she is." She told him as she looked at me.

"Well I better go get the paperwork taken care of so we can get out of here," Charlie said as he headed towards the check out desk.

I was so thankful having Alice standing there with me. Her being there kept the other kids away. They feared the Cullen's. Now I had to smile at how right they are to do so. But I still didn't; couldn't. They may be Vampires, but they are not bad. If they were then why had one saved my life? Why is one a doctor? Why is one a friend? So many thoughts were going through my brain that my head began to hurt, or maybe it was because of the bump.

"How are you Bella?" Alice asked me when Charlie was gone.

"I'm fine, just a little bump on the head that's all." I said to her.

"Edward is so sorry about that. He feels sick that you were hurt when he knocked you out of the way." She said in a whisper as she stepped closer to me so we wouldn't be heard.

"If a little bump on the head is the price I have to pay for him saving my life, then I will gladly pay it. I should be dead now, and because of him I'm not." I whispered back to her. "Where is he?"

"He is with Jasper right now," She told me. "Jasper has a way of controlling the emotions of people, and right now Edward needs a little assistance."

"Is he freaking out?" I asked her. I started to worry that maybe I went too far by kissing him. What if I scared him off? What have I done? "Is it because I kissed him?"

"Yes and no, to both." She told me.

Charlie was on his way back to us by then. "I'll tell you about it later," she said as Charlie stopped in front of me.

"You ready to go Bells?" he asked me.

"Charlie, do you mind if I stop by later and drop off Bella's assignments from school?"

"Not at all Alice, that is very kind of you to do."

I knew that she was just doing this so we could talk later.

"It's not a problem. I'll see you after school Bella." Alice told me as she walked away from us.

"Okay, see you then," I told her as I saw the looks on the faces of the kids from school. They all had their mouths hanging wide opened. They were not only shocked that Alice was talking to someone other than her family, but they were also shocked that she said she would see me after school. I was too, a little. I really wanted to talk to her and get some more information, what did she mean by yes and no to both?

"Let's go," I said to Charlie before anyone could swarm around me with the twenty questions in their eyes.

We drove home in silence. I was too wrapped up in my own thoughts to hold a conversation anyway. When we got home Charlie told me that I should call my mother. "You told MOM!" I said completely appalled. I knew that she would be a compete basket case about this.

"Sorry," he replied.

I told Charlie that I was fine and convinced him to go back to work. I told him that I would call him if I felt funny.

My mother was in hysterics of course, begging me to come home. It was very easy to resist the temptation to go, I had too much here, and who cares about the sun. I couldn't leave, not now, not ever. After a couple of hours of convincing her that I was fine, she finally conceded and let me off of the phone with the promise that I would call her first thing in the morning. By this time it was almost three o'clock. Alice would be here soon. I went upstairs and took a quick shower and changed my clothes.

I began to get nervous while waiting, wondering what to ask her. I also wondered if they, the Cullen's, would be angry about me knowing their secret.

I heard a knock at the door, and jumped a little, my heart felt like it was in my throat. I went to the door, took a deep breath and opened it.


	5. Chapter 5

6

_**Chapter 5**_

When I opened the door, I almost fainted. There Alice stood in front of me, but behind her were Edward and Jasper. I couldn't form a thought. I gripped the door for support, and gestured for them to come inside staring at Edward the whole time. The great thing was that he was staring right back at me.

Alice handed me the assignments from school that I had missed for the day. I know that I had a puzzled look on my face when I said "I thought that this was just an excuse to come over and talk, you didn't really have to do this Alice, Thank you."

"It was no problem, and what if Charlie noticed that I didn't bring these?" she answered.

"I guess you're right." I said as I put the paperwork down on the counter.

"Please make your selves comfortable," I said as I led them to the living room.

I waited for them to be seated. Alice sat down next to Jasper on the love seat, and Edward sat on the couch. That just left me. Do I sit in Charlie's chair or do I sit next to Edward? I wanted to sit next to him, but wasn't sure if that would make him feel weird, so I started to walk to Charlie's chair and saw Edward pat the spot next to him. Oh my, he wants me to sit next to him.

"Why don't you sit here Bella," he said to me. Enter the butterflies!!! (I was wondering when they would show up). As soon as I heard his voice the butterflies in my stomach almost erupted out of me like a volcano. Slowly I went to sit next to him. The closer I got the more intensified they seemed to be. My breathing started to accelerate as did the beating of my heart. As I sat down I looked over to where Alice and Jasper were sitting, Alice had a huge smile on her face and Jasper; well he looked confounded for some reason.

"Well I guess that I should start by telling you all that I know, or think I know anyway. I just hope that you aren't angry about it." I looked over at Alice and she gave me an encouraging look to continue.

"Okay, here it goes, just please don't interrupt me until I get through it." They all nodded their heads in agreement.

"Well when Edward saved me from the van, everything moved in extreme slow motion. Things clicked together in my head like I just finished putting together a puzzle and was looking at the picture it made. But instead of a picture it was information. The pale cold skin, beauty, eyes changing color, how I never saw you eat or drink anything, the delicious smell, this magical touch, (well at first I thought that it was of because of what you all are but when Dr. Cullen touched me at the hospital I knew that it was just Edwards touch)."

I turned to Edward now and talked directly to him. "The incredible strength and speed you have. Well I knew that you were a…a...Vampire. Don't ask me how I knew, I just did. But it didn't affect the way that I feel for you. However, before any of that clicked into place, when the van was just starting to come at me and I saw you over at your car, I didn't want to die, because the thought of never seeing you again was very painful, I knew then that I loved you." I was speaking so fast that I wasn't sure if they caught all of what I had said. I took a deep breath and continued, "After you saved me, when you were so close to me and I inhaled in the scent of your breath I couldn't stop myself, I kissed you, and I am sorry if that was out of line. But then I had to make sure that you were safe, I didn't want your…um...secret to be exposed, so that was when I told you to get out of there.---I…I guess that's all"

"Bella, I saved you because the thought of you getting killed was painful for me, NOT HER is what my head was screaming. As I was saving you I wanted you to know everything about me. I wanted to know everything about you." He said while looking at me intensely; lovingly. "I didn't realize what that feeling was until you kissed me, I knew then that I loved you, but that feeling completely overwhelmed me and I needed some time to sort through some things. That is why I wasn't at the hospital with you. I didn't understand how this kind of thing was possible, still don't actually," Edward said to me. Then he turned towards Jasper and Alice, I followed his gaze.

"Bella," Alice began, "I brought Jasper and Edward here so we could try to understand what exactly it is that is going on between the two of you."

"Oh, well your guess is as good as mine. I have never felt anything like this before." I replied to her as I desperately was willing myself not to look back at Edward. I knew that I would get lost in the depths of his gaze.

"Nor have I Bella," Edward said to me.

I looked over at him as he spoke, Oh My, how his voice sings to me. I got lost in his eyes for a moment, unable to even think straight. He looked at me as if he were having the same problem.

"Well this is a first," Jasper said breaking me out of my mental shut down. "I have never felt this type of bond before. Can you do something for me?" he said as he looked at Edward. "I would like it if you would touch her hand Edward."

"Will that really help you?" he asked him. Jasper nodded yes to him.

"Bella, do you mind," Edward asked me. As I returned my gaze to his, the look on his face was of concern. Did he really think that I would object to having him touch me? Was he crazy? I mean the feelings that it sent through me were amazing, unexplainably the most pleasant thing I had ever experienced. Hadn't we just declared our love for one another? "No, I don't mind at all, "I replied.

With his hand slowly inching closer to me, my heart picked up its pace again, along with my breathing. I noticed that his breathing became irregular as well. I raised my hand to touch his. My hand was shaking not out of fear but of anticipation of what was to come. When our skin touched, it was overpowering. I couldn't stop myself from tracing my fingers over his hand. Then I raised my other hand up, he raised his at the same time, and our other hands touched. I felt like I was flying. We intertwined our fingers, and scooted closer to each other. Our hands came down to our sides still interlaced. Both of us leaned in at the same time to meet our foreheads together. My breathing at this point was completely out of control. "I don't understand any of this, do you?" I asked him. "No, I thought it was just me," he replied with the same breathing problem that was affecting me. The scent of his breath was completely intoxicating, drawing me in closer to him. I came so close to his face, but then chickened out and started to pull away. That is when he let go of one of my hands and grabbed the back of my head and pulled me closer to him. He began kissing me softly at first and slowly the kiss deepened, as it did I could feel myself let go of everything, I was completely opened to him, wanting him to know every part of me. Then in a flash he was gone.

When I opened my eyes he was across the room with Jasper at his side holding onto him. Suddenly the room felt very calm. Edward was shaking his head from side to side and had the most baffling look on his face. "It's alright Jazz I'm fine." Instinctively I thought that I had done something wrong, that I had pushed him too far. "I'm sorry Edward." I said to him as I looked down at my hands.

"This isn't your fault Bella; there is nothing to be sorry for. It's just that when we were kissing I could read your mind. I could never do that before. It just threw me for a minute that's all," he said to me as he returned to the seat next to me taking my hands in his.

"Wait, what do you mean you could never do that before?" I asked looking up at him.

"Well some of us have special gifts or talents if you will, and mine is mind reading. You were the only person that I have never been able to read before, until just a moment ago. But now it is gone, hidden from me again. Jasper has a special talent as well as Alice."

"Oh you mean the emotions thing with Jasper, Alice mentioned something about that." I asked. "What is your ---"

"I can see the future." She responded interrupting me. "Not everything is definite, it changes when someone changes their mind, shifts the whole future of the events." I must have had an odd expression on my face, because she asked, "Bella are you alright?"

"Um, yes, I was just wondering if you saw me coming or not." I replied in a low voice.

"Yes, but I didn't see anything like this happening, until the two of you touched in Biology class. It is still very confusing for me; the future between the two of you is so blurry. Things are shifting so fast that I can't keep up, which brings us back to Jasper. What can you tell us about any of this?" she asked Jasper who had returned to sit next to her by this time.

"I'm not sure," he began looking over at me and Edward now, "The emotional connection between you two is very strong. I have never felt its equivalent before. It goes deeper than just emotion though. It is at a physical level somehow, like they were meant for only each other. The way they seem to move together without even having to think about it is amazing, as if they are one when they are touching. I think that may be why Edward could read Bella's mind when they were so close. I could feel her opening herself up to him."

"I still don't understand," I said still confused about everything that had transpired in the last half hour. "What do you mean meant only for each other?"

"Well the way that it seems the two of you are connected when you are touching is like you become one, thinking and feeling the same things at the same time. Like it is a cellular response to the physical contact between the two of you. It is the most forceful thing that I have ever felt before, especially from a human," Jasper told me with questioning eyes.

"Wait, you mean that it wasn't just the thoughts that I heard, I was also feeling what she was?" Edward asked Jasper.

"It was more than that Edward, the way the both of you feel for one another is magnified when you are touching. Those feelings melt into one another and seem to connect you two together completely." He explained.

"So are you saying that I was born to love him and vice versa?" I asked. If that was the truth then things were beginning to make a little bit of since anyway. In a weird kind of surreal way.

"I guess you could say that," was his reply.

It got very quiet for what seemed to be forever. Then Alice froze and her eyes glazed over for a moment, and Edward stiffened at my side. "Alice, are you okay?" I asked.

"I am fine Bella. Will Charlie be upset if he sees that Edward and Jasper are here?" she asked.

"Um, I'm not sure, I have never had anyone over here before, but seeing as how they are guys and he is a dad, I guess he might be upset by it."

"Jazz, Edward I think you two had better get out of here," Alice said to them. Just then I heard Charlie's police cruiser pulling into the driveway. Jasper kissed Alice gently on the cheek and whispered into her ear to low for me to hear. Edward got up beginning to release my hands. I didn't want him to go, so I squeezed his hands tightly. Then Edward raised my hands and kissed them, "I will see you soon Bella." Oh how I loved the way he said my name as if he were caressing it. I was too shocked to say anything, I was in awe. I heard Charlie opening the door, and in the blink of an eye they were gone, leaving Alice and I sitting in the living room alone.

"Bells, you home?" Charlie asked walking down the hall.

"Yea Dad, in here," I replied.

When he got to the living room he looked at Alice and smiled. "It is great to see you again Alice."

"You too Charlie," she replied returning his smile. "Bella and I were just doing some homework." I looked down at the coffee table and noticed that the assignments that Alice had brought to me and school books were opened like we had been really working on them. How did she do that without me noticing? Am I ever going to get used to this kind of thing? I doubted it.

"Well Bella, I better get home before Carlisle and Esme wonder what happened to me." Then she hugged me and whispered in my ear. "Don't worry, I'll be waiting for you in your room." I nodded in recognition and relief. I didn't want her to go yet. I still had so many questions. Then she kissed me on the cheek. "Bye Bella, I'll see you at school tomorrow." I walked her to the door and said, "Bye Alice, and thanks again for bringing me the assignments."

I closed the door and took a deep steadying breath before going to the kitchen. "Are you hungry dad? I can make you something if you want."

"No thanks Bells, I had pizza at the station," he replied to my great relief.

"Okay then, I think I'm going to go to bed early. I've had a long day."

"Goodnight Bells."

"Night dad," I replied as I headed up to my room. When I opened the door much to my surprise Alice was sitting on my bed looking in my closet in disbelief and shaking her head. "You know I think I need to take you shopping. Your wardrobe needs some serious help. Oh I know, we can go this weekend," she said bouncing up and down on by bed with sheer joy on her face. I guess she really liked to shop. I can't say the same. It was always something that I tried to avoid as much as possible.

Seeing how happy she was about the idea changed my mind. "That sounds like a lot of fun." She didn't buy the reluctance in my voice, but said, "I know that it isn't something that you particularly enjoy, but I know that you will have a good time." Then she tapped her fingers on her forehead. With that I had to laugh, and she joined in. It was so easy to talk to her, like we had been friends all of our lives; sisters. I had never had a sister. If I had I would have wanted her to be exactly like Alice. Even with the unbelievably awkward situation I was now in, I felt comfortable and unafraid.


	6. Chapter 6

_**Chapter 6**_

Still laughing I walked over to the bed and sat down next to Alice. "So where would you like to begin?" she asked me.

"Don't you already know the answer to that question?" I joked.

"Well yes. But I know how annoyed people get when I answer to things that they haven't voiced yet," she stated.

"I didn't. The day we met I thought that it was great how you gave me all the information that I was after without me having to ask." I told her.

"When you chose to pick up my notebook I got a flash of the future friendship that we would have. I was so excited and I knew how reluctant you were, so I told you everything you wanted to know."

"I am so glad you did. It made me love you right then, and now it feels like you're my sister." I replied.

"Oh Bella I feel the same way!" She said to me as she grabbed me in a vice gripped hug.

"Uhh, Alice - - - can't breathe," I choked out.

"Oh sorry," she said releasing me.

She got up and picked up a book from my desk 'Pride and Prejudice' and handed it to me. "You are going to need this, lay back and pretend to read. Charlie is on his way up to check on you."

With that she disappeared. It happened so fast that it made me catch my breath. I quickly lay back on my pillow and opened my book. About ten seconds later Charlie opened my door. "Hey there Bells, can't fall asleep?"

"Not yet. I will soon though, reading always relaxes me." I was the truth and a lie.

"Well I'm going to hit the sack, night honey."

"Goodnight dad."

He closed the door and I heard his close shortly after.

"Thanks Alice." I said as she came out of my closet. She was holding my brown sweater in her hands. It wasn't a pretty sight, quite the opposite in fact, but it was warm and very comfortable.

"Bella, honestly we need to get you shopping. I mean where, and more importantly why, would you wear this?" she asked me wrinkling her nose in disgust. I just chuckled a little at her. "We ate going to have so much fun shopping together, I can't wait!" she said to me jumping up and down a little with excitement.

"But enough about that," she said as she lifted me effortlessly off the bed. Before I could comprehend what was going on we were out the window and on the ground outside my house.

"Alice, are you trying to give me a heart attack?" I huffed out.

"Sorry Bella, but if I told you what I was going to do you wouldn't have come," she said putting me down on the grass. Taking that in for a moment I knew that she was right.

"Where are we going?" I asked still trying to catch my bearings.

"To my place silly," she responded in a tone that suggested that I should have already known that. "Come on," Alice ordered grabbing my hand and pulling me along.

"Um, Alice how are we going to get there? My truck will wake the entire neighborhood and your car isn't here."

"The boys are waiting for us up the street," she informed me.

"Oh, I thought they went home."

Just then I saw the headlights of the Volvo come on, and the car began moving toward us. "Alice, does…..I mean is the rest of your family okay with me knowing about you?"

"Yes, well everyone except Rosalie, but don't worry about her. It's more of a vanity thing than anything else," she explained to me. Not that it cleared thing up for me at all, it actually brought up a new round of questions to ask, but there was no time to continue this conversation. The car came to a stop next to us and the door opened. Jasper stepped out of the passenger side and opened the back door for Alice to climb in. Then he got in after her, "You can sit in front Bella."

"Thank you Jasper," I replied to him.

I got in and looked over to the driver seat, but Edward wasn't there. Where did he go? Who was driving before? These were the thoughts that went through my mind. I was about to voice my questions when I heard him. God his voice is like a soothing melody to me.

"Are you all set Bella?" He asked from my side of the car. What? Was he getting the door for me? It felt so old fashioned, but I must admit I really liked it.

"Yes, thank you Edward."

He gently closed my door and almost simultaneously the driver side door opened and he got in.

"I really think that is going to take some getting used to," I retorted shaking my head a little.

"What?" Edward asked with the most beautiful crooked smile on his perfect face. I smiled back getting lost in his eyes for a moment. I am going to need some practice with concentration when I am around this heavenly man.

"Uh, the whole moving at the speed of light thing," I told him.

Edward, Jasper and Alice got a little bit of a laugh at my expense on that one. Embarrassment set in and I felt the blood rush to my cheeks.

"Well we don't move quite that fast," Edward said as he started driving down the road. "This must all be very strange for you."

What else could I say to that but the truth, "You have no idea. I feel like I'm in a dream. You know the kind where reality meets fantasy. But I don't ever want to wake up."

Edward reached over and took my hand in his, "I don't want you to wake up either." I know that he was just responding to what I had just said, but it felt like there was a double meaning behind his reply. It was hard to focus my brain to try and figure out what that might be with him touching me.

'Focus Bella, focus,' I told myself. 'Stop thinking about the way his touch makes you want to grab him and kiss his sensuous lips… Not to mention the other urges that have been awakened sense that first touch….DAMN IT BELLA FOCUS.'

I took in a long steady breath. It helped a little so I took another. Edward must have misinterpreted its meaning because he asked me, "You aren't frightened are you?"

How could he think that? He may not be able to read my mind right now but I know that he can read Jaspers. I am sure that my internal struggle hadn't been missed by him. I glanced in the back seat and saw Jasper and Alice locked together in an intimate embrace and kissing. I blushed of course and looked down. Apparently he was a bit too busy to pay attention right now. God, how I wished that it was Edward and I back there. I shook my head a little to try to focus again.

"No I'm not frightened. I know that I should be, but I'm not." I confessed to him placing my left hand on top of his hand that was holding my right. I faintly heard him catch his breath. This made me smile, knowing that my touch could bring him as much pleasure as his did for me.

"Edward, before when you said you didn't want me to wake up either, what exactly did you mean? It felt like there were dual meanings behind what you said. Were you referring to the fact that you are a vampire, and you think I should run away screaming or something?"

He flashed me his perfect crooked smile and said, "You are very observant aren't you?" Then he raised my hand and kissed the back of it causing me to catch my breath this time. He didn't answer my question directly but I decided to let it go, for now anyway.

We were pulling up to the house so there wasn't time to push the subject. The house was amazing; it looked like a glass house. The light coming from in the house brightened the area surrounding the house. (A good thing considering how uncoordinated I am. I wouldn't want to trip on a rock and smash my head embarrassing myself)

"Are you ready for this?" Edward asked me, gently squeezing my hand to put me at ease.

"I'm not sure," I muttered, suddenly very nervous.

"Alice, Jazz, we'll be inside in a minute," Edward told them as they got out of the car. "It's going to be fine Bella," Alice assured me as her and Jasper disappeared into the house.

"Bella, you have nothing to worry about, I won't let anyone harm you." I stared at him in disbelief. How could he jump to the conclusion that I was afraid of his family? I just spent the majority of the day with three vampires. What a mystery the male mind is. I smiled and let out a little laugh.

"What?" he asked with a puzzled look.

I raised my right hand and placed it gently on his cheek. "I'm not afraid of them Edward. It's just… What if they don't like me?"

"You are an amazing creature, my beautiful Bella. They are going to love you."

Self doubt always getting the better of me I began to object, "But…"

"Shh," he replied silencing me by placing his fingers on my lips. "Trust me on this."

"I do trust you Edward."

He slowly leaned towards me gently placing his hands on either side of my face pulling me to him. As our lips touched the world disappeared. I had no sense of time or place. There was only him and I, our lips moving in time with one another. I could feel myself melting into him.

In that moment something happened that made me moan softly and call out to him, "Oh my God Edward I can hear you!" He started to pull back from me but I wasn't going to allow that. I grabbed his face and pulled him back to me. "No, don't stop."

I crushed my lips to his with an intensity that I had never before experienced. I could hear him in my head. Every thought he was having was right there in my mind. He was thinking so many things at the same time that it was difficult for me to catch it all. The most prominent were: How good it felt to be so close to me; how soft and warm I felt to him; how confusing this was; how strange that the monster that he thought he was no longer wanted my blood; and lastly was how hard it was for him to try to not hurt me when we touched. I could also feel what he was feeling. It was amazing; they were the exact same feelings that were coursing through my body and in effect doubling them.

As the kiss deepened our breathing became erratic; uncontrollable. I was getting a little light headed. Edward paused for a brief second and moved his kiss to my cheek, down to my neck, to my collar bone, back up my neck to my ear. "I love you Bella."

With that I become completely undone. I brought my hands up and twisted my fingers in his hair pulling him closer to me, and crushing my lips to his with as much force as my body would generate. Our thoughts were one; wanting each other, now. But within that same thought we both knew that it was too soon for that, no matter what our bodies were telling us. We slowed our kissing just in time to hear the passenger door to the car open.

A deep voice bellowed out, "Hey you two, if you're going to be making out all night, we've all got better things to do than sit around listening to it."

I pulled away from Edward turning the brightest shade of scarlet. "Hey there Bella, I'm Emmett. Come on everyone is dying to meet you," he proclaimed helping me out of the Volvo. Edward was at my side in an instant. I could have sworn that I heard him growl under his breath. Emmett released me as Edward put his arm around my waist pulling me close to him.

"Touchy, Touchy," Emmett chirped out confirming what I thought I heard coming from Edward.

"Did you just growl at your brother?" I asked him.

"Well… Yeah, but only a little," he replied flashing me his crooked grin. He must know by now what that does to me.

He leaned in closer to me and kissed my head. "Come on, let's get inside before they all come out here."

I drew in a deep breath and said, "Okay, let's go."


	7. Chapter 7

_**Chapter 7 BPOV**_

Entering the house was like walking into a dream. The colors were soft and inciting, the kind that can make you at ease and comfortable no matter what you are felling. Add to that, being surrounded by seven of the most beautiful people that I have ever seen, 'I have to be dreaming,' I thought to myself.

Then I noticed that all seven pairs of eyes were on me. Blood rushed to my face and I looked down quickly full of embarrassment. I felt completely out of place surrounded by such beauty. I groaned internally wishing that I wasn't so absolutely ordinary.

Edward gently squeezed my hand while pulling me forward. "Bella, this is Esme, Esme this is Bella." I stepped forward with my hand extended to shake hers.

"It is very nice to meet you Mrs. Cullen."

"It is wonderful to meet you as well Bella, but please call me Esme."

I turned to Dr. Cullen, "Nice to see you again Dr. Cullen."

"You too Bella, and its Carlisle if you don't mind," he said with a smile.

"Well you already know Alice and Jasper; and Emmett you met outside, so that leaves Rosalie," Edward said.

"Hello Rosalie," I said as I took in how beautiful she was.

"Bella," she responded almost in an accusatory way. She looked at me like she wanted to kill me. I didn't understand why she would be so angry with me or hate me so much. I momentarily cringed into Edward's side as he wrapped his arms around my waist. "It's okay Bella," Edward whispered into my ear. This gave me the courage I needed. I looked at Rosalie and in an almost distained voice asked, "Have I done something to offend you?"

Her glare deepened and through clinched teeth she responded, "You are human, and knowing our secret puts us all at risk of exposure. Not to mention what it means for you." This made me angry. I unwound myself from Edward's embrace and walked toward Rosalie stopping about a foot away.

"I WOULD NEVER BETRAY ANY OF YOU THAT WAY," I shouted at her. I was honestly scared out of my mind, but I was not going to back down; even if she could snap me like a twig.

"What do you mean by 'what it means for me,?" I demanded.

"You are throwing your life away Bella, you have no idea what you will be giving up by being a part of this life," she hollered back to me.

"WHO THE HELL ARE YOU TO TELL ME WHAT I SHOULD OR SHOULD NOT BE WILLING TO GIVE UP? THIS IS MY LIFE, AND I WILL DO WITH IT WHAT I WANT," I yelled back at her glaring into her eyes.

She stepped closer to me, and I thought that I was a goner. I could see around me that everyone except Alice had tensed up. Then surprising everyone, (including shocking the hell out of me), she took me in her arms and gave me a hug.

"No one but Emmett has ever faced off with me like this before and put me in my place. You are right, it is your life. Welcome to the family Bella. I think that we are going to get along just fine," she said as she released me from the hug.

"Uh, thank you Rosalie," I said still in shock from that change in attitude from her. "Call me Rose," she said smiling, bringing out her beauty even more. I smiled back at her as Edward's arms wrapped around my waist.

"That. Was. So. Hot." Emmett boomed breaking the silence. "Edward you have got to keep this girl around!"

"Grow up Emmett," Rosalie replied.

"Well it was kind of hot," Jasper said, deepening the blush that had already spread over my face.

"Hell I'm a woman and I thought that it was hot," Alice proclaimed; making everyone laugh. I threw my hands up over my face and leaned back into Edward's chest. "Oh God this is too embarrassing."

The rest of the week went mush the same. After Charlie went to bed, Alice would come get me and jump me out of the window with her. I have to admit that I was beginning to enjoy it. After the first initial shock, it was very exhilarating. I was amazed that such a tiny little thing could be so massively strong. I loved going to the Cullen house every night. It felt like home to me.

Shopping with Alice over the weekend was an eye opening experience. She was like a force of nature. She was right; I did have a lot of fun. Not so much because of the shopping part, but just from watching her go. By the time we were finished, the trunk and back seat of her car were completely full of bags. As much as I strongly objected, more than half of the bags belonged to me. Alice of course using the excuse that if I was going to be around the Cullen house so much, I would need to have clothes there just in case. I just rolled my eyes at her and let it go, because I knew that it would have been a losing battle.

On Sunday, when it was almost time to go back home to Charlie, Edward lead me to through backyard toward the river. As we got closer to the water I noticed the most beautiful gazebo that I had ever seen. He told me that he and his brothers had built it there while us girls were out shopping. He said that it was not a big deal, and only took a couple of hours to complete. I shook my head, with tears falling down my face. I kissed him tenderly. He explained to me that he wanted me to have a place of my own to go to when he was out hunting. Also, this could be a place for us to relax and enjoy each other's company.

Edward asked if I didn't mind just him taking me back to Charlie's house. (As if I would ever objet to such a thing, Silly vampire).

When we got to my room he asked, "Do you mind if I stay here for a little while?"

"You can stay as long as you want Edward. I wish we never had to be apart," I said to him as I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed his lips lightly.

"I feel the same way Bella. When we are together I feel whole; complete."

"Edward, that is how I feel too, and when we are apart I feel like there's a part of me missing," I admitted feeling pathetic.

"Me too," he said squeezing me tighter. Then he sighed and released me saying, "Why don't you get ready for bed, I'll wait over here with my back turned."

I nodded and hurried to gather what I would wear. I decided on some blue cotton shorts and a matching T-shirt. When I was finished I sat at the front of my bed and said, "Okay, you can turn around now."

In the blink of an eye he was next to me on the bed, making me catch my breath in surprise. "I don't think I'll ever get used to that," I said shaking my head, "Sorry, I didn't mean to startle you love," he said as he gently brushed my cheek with his fingers; making me blush, and sending my heart into overdrive. 'How does he do that to me' I thought.

"Don't apologize; it is part of who you are Edward. I accept it, all of it," I said as I leaned in to kiss him. (If I had it my way I would spend all of my time kissing Edward. S.M. owns that one).

While kissing him I wanted to try something that we hadn't done yet, and it was something that I desperately wanted to do.

Slowly, I let my tongue trace around his lips, taking in the taste of him. This brought a moan from both him and me. His moan was the most beautiful sound that I have ever heard. Before I could register what had happened, I was laying down flat on the bed with Edward next to me. How he did this without breaking our kiss is beyond me, it must be a vampire thing. Our breathing was out of control and my heart was beating so hard I could feel it in my toes. As with all of our other kisses before, the closer we got physically, the more one we became.

Sensing, or should I say knowing, what I wanted next, Edward parted our lips and slowly entered his tongue into my mouth, God he tastes heavenly. As out tongues touched the electricity in the room engulfed us both, bringing on an intense urgency in our kissing, along with other more powerful desires.

It wasn't until I had to come up gasping for air, that I noticed Edward's shirt was off, my hands were caressing his incredible chest, and his hand was up my shirt inching closer to my breast.

Realizing this too, Edward removed his hand from my shirt and pulled me onto his chest hugging me. We stayed that way while waiting for our breathing to return to normal.

"Bella, I am so sorr…" he began and I placed my fingers over his lips to silence him. I did not want him to apologize or be sorry in any way for what had just happened.

"There is no need to be sorry for anything Edward. That was incredible, and you didn't do anything that I didn't want you to do."

He just nodded his head in acknowledgement, and seemed to relax knowing that I wasn't offended.

"I love you Bella," he whispered in my ear, sending shivers throughout my body.

"I love you too," I replied as I yawned.

"Get some sleep my love," he said as he kissed the top of my head.

"I don't want to let you go yet," I told him honestly.

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Okay," I mumbled.

Then he began to gum a beautiful lullaby as I drifted into unconsciousness.

The next couple of months passed us by in a blur. I would go to the Cullen house every night, where I learned everything about them. Edward asked me endless questions about my life. It was honestly boring stuff, but he seemed interested, so I told him.

We would also test our physical connection, and boundaries. I was happy to know that he also thought we weren't quite ready for the next step, even if his reasons were different than mine. However, with each passing day it was getting harder and harder to resist the need to be as close to him as possible. We spent a lot of time in the gazebo reading to each other. It became one of my favorite places to be.

**[OK GUYS, WE ARE GOING TO ASSUME THAT OVER THESE COUPLE OF MONTHS THAT BELLA LEARNS EVERYHTING ABOUT THE CULLENS AND VISE VERSA. WE HAVE ALL READ IT, SO I DON'T WANT TO REPEAT IT]**


	8. Chapter 8

_**Chapter 8 BPOV**_

These past couple months have been so completely blissful. It is as if my life began when I met the Cullen's. In reality that cannot be a truer statement. Before them I was only living a half life. Going to school; doing homework; listening to music; and reading. That was the summation of my life.

Now there is so much more, I can't believe how much I have been missing out on. I feel like I truly belong now. Before I would shy away from making too many friends, now I actively seek them out. It first started with Alice, then Rosalie, now I have made really good friends with Angela Weber. She has such a kind soul that you can't help but love her. I speak with Jessica and Lauren, but I do not think that we will ever become anything more than acquaintances. They are very superficial people.

Angela is still a bit apprehensive around the Cullen's, so she doesn't sit with us at lunch, but she does not think badly of them. I think it has to do with the self preservation thing in humans that I am apparently lacking, according to Edward anyway.

Any time the Cullen's go on one of their weekend hunting "camping" trips, I would spend time with Angela. Like tonight, it is Saturday and I am spending the night at Angela's house. Her parents are away for the weekend, so Angela is in charge of taking care of her twin brothers, so I offered to help her out. They are surprisingly good kids, and I think that she was a bit scared to be alone the whole weekend with them.

I got to her house around 2 in the afternoon. We played games with the boys. After dinner we got the boys bathed and ready for bed. I guess a full days activities made them tired, because halfway through the first book "Green Eggs and Ham", they were out like a light.

It was only a little past 8 pm so we decided to put in a movie. As the opening credits were starting the power went out. So we just sat there in the dark and talked about anything and everything. Angela told me that Jessica and Lauren (along with 90% of the female population at Forks High) had made advances toward Edward and his brothers when they first arrived in Forks. Then she told me about how they would turn them down before they had even completed their sentences. (I am sure with the heads up from Edward reading their minds it didn't go too badly). We talked about her crush on Ben.

She told me that she noticed all the death glares that I was getting because Edward was finally paying attention to the opposite sex. I have noticed them too, along with hearing some of the not so nice comments some of the girls made about me. Not surprisingly some of them were made by Jessica and Lauren. Then Angela began with the questions.

"So, you and Edward seem to be pretty serious. Just how serious are you," she asked me suggestively.

Cue the instant blush. "Um, well we haven't gone all the way or anything. Not that I don't want to. I know that he is the one Ang, he is my soul mate." I replied pausing.

"But?" she prompted.

"But, I am not sure if now is the right time. We are both new to this whole relationship thing so we don't really know what to do ya know. When the time is right for both of us we will know. But sometimes I feel like he has the will power and self control of a saint. I mean we don't need to have sex yet, but I wish he would at least touch me. Oh God did I just say all that out loud?" I said mortified.

"Yes sweetie you did, but that's ok I can understand. Besides that is what girlfriends are for, to listen when we need to vent," she replied chuckling. "You really should talk to him about this though," she said seriously.

"I know, but I am afraid that his 19th century morals will make him disgusted by what I say. He is such a gentleman; how do I tell him that I want him to do…things to me?"

"That's easy sweetheart, just come right out and tell him you want him to fuck you, always worked for me," a voice bellowed in the darkness causing Angela and me to gasp with fright. Clinging to one another we stood to face the direction where we heard the voice coming from.

"Wh---what are you doing in my house? Get out!" Angela stammered.

"Now where is the fun in that?" the voice said coming closer.

Just then lightning flashed eliminating the room. There across the room from us stood a man with blond hair pulled back into a ponytail with red eyes.

I grabbed Angela's hand and pulled her behind me. I knew what we were up against even if she didn't. I knew that there was no hope for us getting out of this alive, but maybe I could save Angela and her brothers somehow. I needed to do something, anything.

Another flash of lightning showed us that the man was standing directly in front of me. Angela gasped and began speaking, "What do you want?"

Before he could respond I spoke up, "Look she doesn't know what you want or why you are here. Please leave her be and I will go with you willingly," 'vampire' I whispered the last part too low for Angela to hear. He was close enough to us that I saw the momentary surprise in his eyes. "I'll do whatever you want, please," I pleaded with him.

"Now why would I do that when I can have both of you?" he asked in such a sweet tone that it almost sounded innocent. I knew that I had to do something and fast.

Without even thinking about it I grabbed his face and kissed him hard, mentally wrenching at what I was doing. Hopefully I was buying some time. 'God Alice I hope you are all on your way' I thought to myself. This completely stunned him. I knew what kissing Edward did to his self control. I just hope this vampire was affected even just a little. I spun around and told Angela "Go, get your brothers and get out of here NOW!"

Then I felt him grab me from behind hard. At first I thought that he was going to stop Angela but he was completely focused on smelling my neck at my pulse point.

I whispered to Angela "Go, please. I know what I am doing." Then I mouthed 'Call Edward" to her. She nodded slightly then slowly started making her way out of the room.

I let out a small sigh of relief that he took to mean as something completely different. Then I felt him press up against me with his whole body and his tongue licked from the pulse point on my neck up to my ear. "Do you have any idea how good you taste?" he whispered huskily in my ear, making me groan in disgust.

I knew from my discussions with Alice and Edward that hunting and sex for vampires go hand in hand. He was already in a bloodlust state so I knew that sexual lust wasn't far off. Me kissing him made his lust come into sharp focus. I just hope this buys enough time for Edward and his family enough time to save Angela and her brothers, then me if at all possible. I had to try and drag this out as long as possible. I had to think of something quickly. 'What would I do if this was Edward?' I thought to myself. Then I had the idea. I reached up behind me and grabbed a hold of his hair and pulled it as hard as I could while grinding my ass against his hardened member making him groan.

"Mmmm, what's your name?" I asked trying to sound seductive.

"James, you?" he asked while kissing sloppily up and down my neck, slowly slipping his hand up my shirt touching my stomach. This made me shiver, not from his cold touch or pleasure, but from trying to keep myself from throwing up.

"Isabella," I replied trying to keep the disgust I was feeling out of my voice.

"I've never been with a human before Isabella. You are so warm," he breathed into my ear, inching his way back down my neck nipping me with his teeth, while his hand started traveling farther up my shirt towards my breasts.

There is no way that I was going to let this go any farther. My body belongs to Edward. Only he can touch me like this. There was only one thing that I could think of to do.

Still having a firm grip on his hair I pushed his head against my neck as hard as I could, feeling his teeth sink into my flesh. Moaning and slightly growling he began to drink deeply. 'Forgive me Edward. I Love You' I thought, as I began feeling darkness take over me from the rapid blood loss.

As my eyes started going in and out of focus I saw a flash of white and heard the most menacing growl of anger. Suddenly I was flying through the air bouncing off the wall and falling to the ground. I felt the breaks in my bones and cried out in pain. "Keep away from my mate." I heard my angel growl. Then I heard something that sounded like boulders colliding. Looking up I saw James and Edward fighting. I tried to summon the strength to speak but no sound would come out.

"Oh, you're Mr. 19th century morals," James taunted. "I think you have been leaving your mate unsatisfied my friend."

I knew in that moment that Edward was reading James's mind, seeing through his eyes what had transpired tonight.

"NO!" I screamed finally finding my voice.

Edward looked over to me with such hurt and agony etched on his face that I knew he got the wrong idea.

"Bella, why?" he asked as James grabbed him and threw him across the room nearly throwing him through the wall.

"Looks to me like she wants a new mate," James edged.

"Never," I whispered looking at Edward who wouldn't return my gaze. The blackness of death was beginning to take over me as I tried to tell him that it was just to buy some time. There were so many things I needed to say, but there wasn't time.

"Explain…Alice…James…Angela… safe… time… fight…soul…please…love you," was all I got out before the blackness enveloped me.


	9. Chapter 9

_**Chapter 9 EPOV**_

(This is one of the few times that I will stray away from BPOV. But it is needed here because she is not conscious)

I couldn't believe the images that I was getting from this filthy Vampire "James." Bella, my Bella kissing him, letting him touch her in ways that I had only dreamed of doing. My heart felt like it was being ripped out of my chest.

"NO!" I heard her scream; no doubt knowing that I had just seen what had happened.

I looked over to the woman who owned my heart and couldn't believe she would do something like this to me.

"Bella, why?" I asked felling something grab me and throw me across the room. As I collided with the wall I felt all the fight in me disappear. If she didn't want me anymore I no longer had anything to live for.

"Looks to me like she wants a new mate." The vampire spoke.

"Never," I heard Bella whisper. I could feel her looking at me but I could not return her gaze. I couldn't shake the images that I plucked from this vampires mind.

"Explain… Alice…James…Angela… safe… time… fight…soul…please…love you," I heard the jumbled words come from Bella before I heard the small thud of her head hitting the floor. I could barely hear her faint heartbeat and shallow breathing. Rage I didn't know I was capable of overtook me. I flew at James before he had time to react and tore his left arm off. For the first time since my change I let the monster within me completely take over.

Before I knew it James was kneeling before me with no arms. His head was between my hands and I was about to tear his head from his shoulders when I heard a voice in my head screaming at me.

"Edward! It was just a ploy to buy time, see through my eyes. Then images from Alice's mind flooded through me. The disgust on Bella's face when James was touching her, her decision to buy time for Angela and her brothers, James's comment just before Bella pushed his face into her neck making the decision to die rather than have him take her that way. Oh God, how could I have doubted her for a second?

'Edward we are nearly there, you need to get to Bella now before it's too late,' Alice pleaded with me in my mind. In a flash I was next to Bella's broken and dying body.

I faintly heard my family come in. Carlisle got to us in a flash completely in doctor mode looking Bella over. I have been through medical school a couple of times but was now at a total loss of what to do. In the background I could hear the rest of my family dispatching James. All I could focus on was my broken love lying in front of me.

"Carlisle, save her please," I begged. He looked up at me with an expression that I had only seen him make once before, when there was no way for Esme to live without being changed.

"No! There has to be another way." I shouted.

"Edward, her body is broken and she has lost too much blood. You have to make a choice son. We can either let her die, or change her."

"Chose now Edward, she is almost out of time," Alice yelled.

I looked into my father's eyes and nodded unable to speak.

"Ok, it is going to take all of us to get enough venom into her fast enough for her to survive," Carlisle stated. With no arguments or second thoughts, my family surrounded Bella. Alice and Jasper had Bella's arms, Emmett and Rosalie had her ankles, Carlisle and Esme were at each side of her neck, and I was over her heart.

"Don't drink, just push all the venom you can into her body," was the last thing Carlisle said before we all bit down into Bella's body trying to save her.

The thoughts of my whole family were focused solely on saving my angel. There wasn't an ounce of bloodlust coming from anyone. I could hear the venom starting to move through her body. But she didn't move or cry out in pain.

'If there is a Good, Please let this work,' I thought.

We all sat up looking and listening to Bella. Her heartbeat was a bit stronger signaling to us that the venom was indeed working. "She's going to be just fine. Jasper, Emmett, burn James's body. Esme, Rosalie, Alice you need to get this mess cleaned up. Me and Edward are going to get Bella to the house," Carlisle ordered in his authoritative voice as head of the family. Everyone sprung into action at once, all coming to a complete halt when we heard a gasp coming from the doorway to the living room.

Emmett "Fuck!"

Rosalie "Oh, great another human."

Alice "Sorry Edward I forgot about her."

Jasper "Curious she is frightened but more worried about Bella."

Carlisle "What do you want to do son?"

The thoughts of my family hit me all at once. I shook my head trying to think. I have been around this human for two years and have never heard a bad thought cross her mind.

"How long have you been standing there?" I asked trying to use a soft enough choice to not frighten her more. Her words matched her thoughts.

"Long enough to know that you are not human," she said honestly. "Look I don't care what you are as long as what you said about Bella going to be OK is true."

'She is being honest Edward. Bella sure has good taste in friends.' Jasper thought to me.

"Bella is going to be just fine Angela, but she will not be able to be around anyone for a while." Alice explained.

"Oh goodness, what about Charlie,?" Angela inquired.

I had to hand it to this human she is quick. Charlie hadn't even entered my mind.

"We are going to leave a note hear from Bella saying that her and Edward have run away together. Charlie is working late tonight so Carlisle, you will need to call and leave a message on his house phone saying you found a note from Edward while camping. Angela we are going to get everything cleaned up and fixed here, do you think that you can go along with this story for Bella?" Alice chimed.

"Bella saved my brothers and me along with all of you, I will do anything you need," Angela stated firmly and with complete conviction. With that decision from Angela Alice's vision showed everything on Angela's end would work out great.

"OK everyone let's get started," Carlisle said.

I walked over to Angela slowly, "Angela it is very important that you not…" I started.

"Not tell anyone about any of this or that you and your family are not exactly human? I kind of figured that one out on my own," she stated interrupting me.

"Yeah, ok thanks Angela," I said while turning toward Bella.

"Thank you too, all of you," she said. "Hey Edward, can you have Bella call me as soon as she can so I can thank her?"

"I will," I said as I picked Bella up and headed to my house with her. The whole way there I whispered to her my love for her.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10 EPOV

When I got to the house with Bella, I laid her down as gently as I could in the bed of the guest room. I was starting to get very worried about her. She still hadn't moved or made the slightest whimper. Carlisle was about a minute behind me so I used this time to gather up a cloth and a bowl of water so I could clean the excess blood off of Bella.

I heard Carlisle come in the house just as I got back to Bella's side. He was gathering his needed medical supplies, while his thoughts were going a million miles a minute trying to make sure we covered all our bases in this situation.

I finished cleaning up all the blood that I could from Bella's body just as Carlisle came into the room. His thoughts were of worry, but not completely for Bella, but also for me. He knew that I was mentally freaking out about the events of this evening.

"Edward, I am going to have to set the broken bones, maybe you should go outside for a moment," he said gently.

"I don't want to leave her," I said through clenched teeth.

"I know son, but you need to take a while to focus before everyone else gets back home."

I knew that he meant that I needed to prepare myself for the thoughts of my family. Reluctantly I nodded in agreement. I told Bella I love her, kissed her forehead and went outside. I sank down to my knees as I heard him set the first break about 100 yards from the house. I could still hear his thoughts. 'My poor little one, you must have been in so much pain' he thought as he set the second break.

My emotions were running so haywire that I could no longer contain them. I screamed out in agony, fear, anger, pain, frustration, worry, hatred and sorrow; Every emotion that was plaguing me. This was the only time in this life that I wished I could shed tears. I don't know how long I stayed there on the ground. All I could think of was that it shouldn't have happened this way. Bella's change, if she chose it, should not have been like this, so violent. We hadn't even talked about if this was something she wanted or not. What if she hated me for my decision? As long as she is in existence I could handle her hatred. I would spend eternity trying to make it up to her. The thoughts of my family brought me out of my own internal thoughts.

'Everything is taken care of Edward. How is Bella doing?' Alice thought directly to me.

Esme's thoughts were of concern and love for Bella and me. Emmett was excited about the fight but concerned for his little sister. For once Rosalie's thoughts were not on herself. She was thinking of ways that she could help. Lastly, Jasper's thoughts were erratic. Having to deal with so many emotions was beginning to take a toll on him. As they got closer he sent out a huge wave of calm to me which I was grateful for. It gave me enough strength and focus to stand and greet them. Thankfully they were all trying to control their thoughts and emotions, no doubt trying to make things easier for Jasper and me.

"There will be no problems with the plan we have in place," Alice said to me. 'I am going to take Rosalie to go get some things ready for Bella,' she thought to me.

Esme put her arms around me enveloping me in a motherly hug. "How are you doing dear?"

"Not very good at the moment mom," I replied.

"Have faith son. Everything will turn out fine, you both deserve happiness," she said as she went into the house. God how I hope she is right.

"Come on let's get inside," I said to my brothers. We silently gathered into the guest room where Bella lay not moving or making any sounds.

If it weren't for Bella's shallow breathing and heartbeat I would have thought she was dead.

"Bella is going to be just fine. I set the bones back into place and the venom is healing them." Carlisle told us. 'She didn't even move or make a sound through the whole process,' he thought.

"Why is she so still?" I asked as I dropped to my knees next to her.

"I don't know son." Carlisle replied. "I have never seen anything like this before. But her change is progressing quickly."

"Alice, do you see anything?" I asked.

"No, I can see you, and the family but nothing about Bella. It's almost like she hasn't made a decision yet or something," she replied.

"I'm not getting a read on her emotions either," Jasper inserted.

I picked up Bella's hand and kissed it. I couldn't get in either. She wasn't letting me into her mind.

Esme was at the other side of the bed across from me. She bent over and kissed Bella on her forehead. "We all love you Bella, come back to us when you are ready sweetheart," she whispered into Bella's ear.

'Edward I am going to take Emmett, Jasper, Rosalie and Alice to go get the cottage ready for you and Bella,' she thought to me.

I nodded my head, "Thank you."

She turned to them, "Let's go," she said and they were gone in a flash.

Then it was just Carlisle, Bella and me. Hours, maybe days passed, I am not sure which. I was so lost in my own thoughts to notice. The two thoughts at the forefront of my mind were: 'Bella has to be alright, she is going to be ok' I told myself over and over again, and 'What if she didn't want this.'

Unable to contain it any longer I asked, "Carlisle what if she doesn't forgive me for this? What if she feels the same as Rosalie? I'll never be able to forgive myself if I have condemned her to an eternity like this. What if…what if she hates me?"

"We have all known Bella for a while now Edward. I do not believe she has it in her to hate anyone. She is the most understanding and open minded person I have ever met. Who we are is carried over after the change. It will only take a short time through the newborn phase until she is completely Bella again. She will need your support and understanding through that time. We will all be here for her, but she will need the most from you son."

'If she sees you struggling or not accepting her as one of us Edward, I fear she will be lost to us. She loves you more than anything in this world. Her change was very traumatic and violent, she is going to need you more now than ever,' he thought to me.

"I know, but I don't want this for her, not now, not like this." I said.

After that statement my world started turning upside down.

Suddenly Bella began thrashing on the bed and screaming.

"Noooo, Edward, plleeaassee, Noooo, Don't!" she screamed. I grabbed her arms to keep her from hurting herself. She continued to thrash and scream.

"Bella, please Bella, I know it hurts. The pain will go away soon, I promise. It did for me. Soon it will be nothing more than a memory," I said to her.

"Nooooo, Noooo. Please Edward, Noooo!"


	11. Chapter 11

_**Chapter 11**_

Blackness; emptiness; nothing. Is this what death is like? Where is the bright light that I have heard about? At least it is peaceful. Slowly my mind began to regain some consciousness. I became aware that I was laying on something soft. How did I get where I am? The last thing I remember was….

Oh no, God No EDWARD, he thinks that I really wanted to be with that scumbag James. .No. The look of betrayal on his face was the last thing I saw. My jumbled words before everything went black aren't going to be something that he can decipher. I have to tell him, there has to be a way for me to tell him the truth.

OK Bella, think about this rationally. If your mind is working that means that you are not dead right. So you need to stay strong and fight to stay alive, even if it is just long enough to let him know the truth. I can't die knowing that he thinks I betrayed our love. Fight. Fight. Fight.

So that is what I did. I kept focusing on my need to get back to Edward. I am not sure how much time passed. It could have been minutes, hours, or days, I'm not sure. But I began to feel my body again, Burning? Why am I burning? Am I in hell? How do I make this stop? Putting all my focus in my mind, I saw the connection between physical and emotional feeling. It reminded me of in mythology how the fates strung the woven fabrics of people's lives. Tens of thousands of threads, all connecting to different things in my mind. This was how I always envisioned it anyway. Somehow I was able to disconnect the physical from the emotional. That was better; at least the physical pain was gone.

Finally I began to hear murmurs outside of my body. I turned my focus onto that. They started to become mumbles, then whispers here and there.

"Bella…believe…hate…and…change…completely…from you." I heard Carlisle's voice speaking softly. What can he be talking about? Come on Bella focus harder. Silence…

Then I heard my loves voice.

"I know, but I don't want this for her. Not now, not like this."

Oh God, no he believes what he saw in James's mind. He hates me, and I am changing. (That explains the fire) Are they going to keep me away from Edward completely? What am I going to do? I cannot live without him. He hates me, and now I am going to be around for eternity. He doesn't want me to be changed; I heard that from his own mouth. I need to do something…tell him now somehow.

I found the connection in my mind to my body and focused on it. Suddenly I began thrashing my body around and started screaming out in agony. Not from the fire that I now felt coursing through my body again, but from the hole being torn through my chest. That was more painful than anything I had felt so far. My soul, my heart, my other half being ripped away from me.

"Noooo, Edward, plleeaassee, Noooo, Don't," I begged him not to do this to me; to us. Then I continued to scream and thrash around on the bed.

I felt Edward grab my arms in order to get my attention. "Bella, please Bella, I know it hurts. The pain will go away soon, I promise. It did for me. Soon it will be nothing more than a memory."

"Noooo, Noooo, Please, Edward, Noooo!"

What was he trying to tell me? Was this how he felt when he read the thoughts of that vile James? He said the pain would go away, that it did for him. I cannot let him become just a memory, I can't live without him. Without him there is no me. I continued to thrash and scream with all my might.

I vaguely heard the sounds of others entering the room, speaking rapidly. I couldn't pay attention or focus on anything other than the complete agony and despair I was in. I felt Edward let go of me and move away from the bed. Then I felt a hand on my forehead. But I knew that it wasn't his. He's gone, he doesn't want me.

"Bella, sweetheart, let me in, let me help you," I heard a southern drawl speak, Jasper.

"She won't let me in to help her, she's blocking me somehow. She is in so much pain. The physical pain she is experiencing is nothing compared to the emotional turmoil that she is in. What the hell happened?" he asked.

"Jasper, please; kill me, please! I can't do this!" I screamed at him.

"I can't kill you darlin', you are my family. Now please let me in so I can help you," he spoke gently.

"No…can't live like this!" I screamed in reply.

How can he expect me to live through eternity with this kind of pain? 'I have to get out of here, I can't be here,' I thought to myself. There has got to be a way for me to be able to go. I had made myself gain control of my thoughts and the movement of my body, so I know there is a way. I quit all movement and sound, drowning out everything from the outside world in order to focus.

The connections came into clear view in my mind. Slowly I began turning them all on, one by one. It kind of reminded me of how a computer works. Once they were all up and running, I began to try to come up with a plan. I knew that I couldn't stay here. There is no way that I could spend any time around Edward. Also, I refused to be a burden to the rest of the Cullen's.

I was not sure how much time had passed, but I became aware that my heart was no longer beating, and I wasn't breathing, come to think of it the burning was gone as well. I guess that meant the change is complete. It's funny that you can ignore physical pain when emotionally you are being torn apart bit by bit.

Slowly I began allowing myself to focus on the outside world. I could hear quiet murmuring and the distinct sounds of seven different people in the room with me.

"It's too soon. The change should have taken longer Carlisle. Alice; anything?" I heard Rosalie ask.

"No, when I try to focus on Bella all I get is blackness," Alice replied.

Well no shit Sherlock. That is after all where I am and where I will spend eternity; in the blackness of anguish and despair.

"Look how beautiful she is," Esme stated.

"I know. Well she was always beautiful, but now she is absolutely breathtaking," Alice exclaimed excitedly. I swear I heard her bouncing up and down.

"She has completely closed herself off to me. I haven't been able to get anything from her since her last outburst," Jasper stated to no one in particular. His voice sounded worried.

"We are just going to have to wait. She will come around when she is ready," Carlisle's fatherly voice interjected.

"Hey, do you think she will arm wrestle with me when she wakes up?" Emmett asked.

Arm wrestling? With Emmett? The visual of what that would look like flashed through my mind. Little five foot four and one hundred fifteen pound soaking wet me, arm wrestling the big brawny frame that is Emmett. I couldn't contain the giggle that slipped out. It didn't sound like me, the pitch was higher and more bell like. I sounded like Alice, Rosalie, or Esme.

I took a deep breath, inhaling the aroma around me. So many different scents hit me all at once. First it was the smells of the room I was in. Fabric's, soaps, dust (Didn't know dust had a smell but it does). There was also carpet, bedding, and a faint smell of books. Too many things at once. I inhaled again trying to distinguish them all.

Carlisle – Oatmeal, frosting, molasses; he smells like frosted oatmeal cookies.

Rosalie – Surprisingly enough she smells like roses. Fresh and fragrant, I never noticed that before.

Esme – Apples, brown sugar, cinnamon, vanilla. Holy crap, she smells like homemade apple pie. No wonder she makes everyone feel so welcome.

Jasper – Musky, paper, comfort. Jasper smells like old books, the classics that I always read.

Emmett – Campfire, dirt, grass, trees. He smells like camping.

Alice – Pineapple, strawberry, apples and oranges. She smells like a fruit basket.

Edward – Honey, lilac, sunshine, happiness, warmth, home. This is the scent I want to smell for eternity. God why does he have to smell so good?

No more than two seconds had passed, and I realized that it was completely silent. No one was moving or breathing. Were they all waiting for a response?

"Sure Emmett, just promise not to break me," I said giggling. I opened my eyes and was in awe of how clear everything was. I began to move my body to sit up and just like that I was up. In the millisecond that I thought to do it, it just seemed to happen. This vampire speed thing is awesome.

I looked around to the other occupants of the room. I gasped at the beauty before me. As a human I thought these people were the most beautiful beings that I had ever seen. Mow looking at them with my new vision; I couldn't believe how much my human eyes missed. They were flawless. The six vampires standing before me were beyond beautiful.

Wait, six? There should be seven shouldn't there?

I glanced around the room and spotted the seventh. There in the farthest corner away from me stood my angel, my devil, my love. I didn't have to be Jasper to read the emotions crossing his features. Anger, hate, distain, disgust, hurt. He wouldn't even look at me.

"Edward," I whispered.

Then just like turning on a light switch my emotions hit me full force, making my knees buckle causing me to fall onto the carpet. 'God I've lost him: my reason for existence, gone,' I thought to myself.

I heard Jasper cry out in agony. I knew he could feel every emotion I was going through at this moment. I didn't want to continue hurting him. I took a deep breath, got up off the floor and bolted through the window. I didn't stop, I ran as fast and as far as my legs would take me. I didn't tire, I just kept going, running and occasionally jumping over a river or pond. I made sure to change direction every now and then so I wouldn't be easily tracked.

Two days went by before I finally stopped, falling down to the forest floor letting my despair take me over completely. I didn't know where I was nor did I care. All I knew was I couldn't go back, ever. 'All my fault. I deserve this,' I kept chanting over and over in my mind. I curled up into a ball and just lay there in my misery.

Hours must have passed before I heard twigs snapping close by. "Excuse me miss, are you alright?" a voice with a slight French accent spoke.

When his words registered in my mind, his scent hit me. Human. It was the most delicious thing that I had ever smelled. It had to be human. I stopped breathing.

'Oh God No,' I thought. I will not become a murderer. I can do this. No I can't.

Is this the way Edward felt when he first met me? All I can think of right now is how much I want to quench this burning in my throat. The only way to do that is to kill this human. No Bella don't give in. Don't let the monster within you control you. You are not a murderer. Focus. You will not kill the human. Remember this human has a family, a life, a future that you will not take away. This was my mantra as I prepared to speak to the human.

I looked up at him. It was a boy no more than 15 or 16 years old. By the way he was dressed he appeared to be hunting. When he looked into my eyes he gasped.

"What happened to you miss?"

What was he talking about? Did I look that bad? Oh, wait my eyes. What do I tell him?

"Oh, um I was in an accident a couple of weeks ago. The doctor said my eyes would return to normal in a couple of months," I replied.

Wow who knew that me being a vampire would make me a good liar?

"Are you going to be OK? Do you need any help?" he asked taking a step closer to me.

I needed to breathe in order to speak. I took a deep breath and his scent hit me again. This time along with his scent my thirst hit me full force. Venom filled my mouth and I had to force myself to swallow so I could reply to him. I clenched my teeth trying to battle the monster within me.

"I'm fine thank you. I have to go," I said standing up and walking away.

"Be careful miss," he said.

"I will thank you," I replied without turning around.

As soon as I knew that he could no longer see me I ran. I had to get as far away from his delicious scent as I could. While I was running I spotted a heard of deer. I didn't even think about it. I took down and drained three deer in less than five minutes. They were not as appetizing as that human would have been but that didn't matter. It made me no longer crave that boys blood.

I sat there for a few minutes thinking about what to so next.

"What am I supposed to do with the deer now?" I spoke aloud to no one.

I heard quiet laughter coming from my right side. "Well we usually bury the carcases," an all too familiar voice replied. I looked over at him, waiting for the look of disgust and hat to flash in his eyes but it never came. Instead he smiled his most dazzling crooked smile at me making me feel weak kneed.


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12 BPOV

He picked up the first carcass showing me how to dispose of it, digging a whole deep enough to cover the dead animal. Once it was covered in dirt he showed me how to put leaves and, twigs and other debris from the forest to make it look natural. The other two we disposed of in silence. After finishing I just stared down at the place where I buried the deer. I didn't know what to say to him. How do I explain to him what I did and the reason behind it? Would he understand? Would he believe me? A small part of me wondered how he could believe what he saw in James' mind before allowing more time to explain, especially considering the connection we share, or shared before all of this. But then again I guess there wasn't really any time to do that was there? Everything happened so fast and then I was out of it for a while.

Then something occurred to me, Angela. "Angela," I whispered turning to Edward. "Is she OK? What about her little…?"

"They are all fine Bella," he said stepping closer to me. He reached out one hand and stroked my hair from the top of my head down to my shoulder causing me to shutter. He wasn't even touching my skin, but his touch still had the same effect on me that it did when I was human. Only now it seemed to be intensified a thousand fold. I couldn't contain the sigh that slipped out of my mouth. I think he misinterpreted it as a sigh of relief for Angela and her brothers.

"There's no need to worry. We made sure they were safe," he told me.

"T-that's good. How m-much do-es she k-know?" I stammered out the question because he was slowly trailing his hand down my arm taking my hand in his. With my new vampire senses, the electric current that went through my body when our skin touched was almost too much for me to handle. "Please-don't," I pleaded as I gently pulled my hand out of his grasp and backed up a couple of steps looking down.

"I heard what you said to Carlisle while I was changing Edward. I know, and its ok I understand. After what you saw in James' mind I don't blame you for hating me, for not wanting me to be like you, to be around for eternity as a constant reminder of what you saw. But Edward I swear to you, I DID NOT BETRAY YOU, US. I…" he cut me off before I could continue.

"Bella," he started sternly. "How could you think that I would ever hate you?"

I knew that he was going to say more but I spoke first. "I saw the way you looked at me. Not only that night but also when I woke from changing. You were devastated and disgusted…" I turned so that I was facing away from him. "After hearing what I did from Carlisle and you, it hurt so much – not the burning from the venom, but knowing that I had lost you…I didn't-" I wasn't able to finish. He grabbed me and spun me around so fast that it shocked me.

"ISABELLA, you have not lost me," he spoke each word slowly with anger and agitation. Then gently he said, "I know the truth Bella. Alice showed me just before you passed out at Angela's. Yes, for a moment I doubted our love because of what I saw in James' mind, and I will never forgive myself for doubting it, us. But through Alice I saw the truth, the decision you made. The look on your face when he had his hands on you was proof enough right there that you did not want him. I hope that one day you can forgive me for doubting you and our bond. As for the way I looked at you when you woke up, none of that was directed at you. After hearing you beg Jasper to kill you, saying that you couldn't live like this, I misunderstood. I thought that you meant being a vampire Bella. I never imagined that it could have meant anything else. Not until you whispered my name. In that moment your mind opened to me. I saw everything; felt everything; heard everything from you," he reached his hands up placing them on either side of my face.

"Your mind stayed open to me even through the hours, days, of running. God Bella the pain you were in, it made me crumble and fall so many times. I don't know how you kept going. But I had to keep myself going to catch up with you; I had to make you understand. I know that you only did what you did to save Angela and her brothers, I do not hate you Bella. I could never hate you. I love you now more than ever for your willingness to sacrifice yourself for your friend." He started leaning his body in closer to mine.

"Here, let me show you how much I love you." When his lips met mine we both moaned loudly, throwing ourselves into the kiss entirely. My God he tasted good. This is where I belong, forever.

The kisses we shared while I was human by far paled in comparison to this new sensation. There was no holding back on his part anymore. He put everything he had into that kiss just as did I. The passion that ignited between the two of us could have set the world on fire and we wouldn't have noticed or cared. All that mattered was that we were together. Our minds were once again open to one another, this time it was more intense than ever before. I could now hear every thought and emotion he was having, which only magnified my own. Both of us were getting more and more excited and filled with need for one another with each passing second.

As our kiss deepened we were both moaning and growling. Our hands began to frantically touch each other. My fingers entwined in his hair, (my favorite place), pulling him closer to me. When his hands traveled up the sides of my hips and he gently kneaded my breasts I moaned loudly, making his kisses become more urgent. 'Oh, God Edward. Don't stop; Please don't ever stop,' I thought.

'I couldn't, even in I wanted to, which I don't. I don't ever want to stop touching you Bella,' he thought back to me.

Apparently our minds were opened to each other again. The connection wasn't lost after all. I trailed my hands down to the bottom of his shirt but became impatient and just ended up ripping it off his body. I then moved my hands up and down his chest making moan into my mouth. This only excited me more knowing how my touch affected him, which also made his excitement increase when he felt mine.

Suddenly my shirt and bra were ripped away from my body. Edward slowly laid me down on the forest floor and began kissing and sucking on my breasts. 'You taste so amazing Love. I can't stop. Please don't ask me to stop,' he thought to me. 'Never, Oh God Edward I don't want you to stop, not ever,' I thought back to him.

All of a sudden Edward growled. This time it wasn't in pleasure but anger. 'Stupid, Annoying, Cock-blocking, Pixie,' he thought. This made me growl in anger as well because I knew we were about to be interrupted. Then I erupted in a fit of laughter. 'Edward said Cock-blocking' kept running through my mind. I couldn't speak because I was laughing so hard. After reading my thoughts Edward began laughing as well.

I knew that Alice was close, but I didn't really care at the moment. Stifling my laughter I pulled Edward's face to me and kissed him deeply. 'I love you so much Edward. There aren't words to describe just how much,' I thought to him. 'I know Bella, I can feel it. Can you feel my love for you?' he thought asked as we continued kissing.

"Yes, and right now I am considering killing the Pixie just so we can continue.' I thought answered him.

"Well that is just not very nice at all Bella. How could you think of doing something like that to me? After I brought you clothes to wear so you wouldn't be walking around in scraps. Hum, I can see how much I mean to you," Alice said giving us her best pouty look.

I couldn't help it, I started laughing uncontrollably again. "D-di-did y-o-ou ju-st st—omp y-o-ur fo-ot, ser-iou-sly?" I choked out through fits of laughter. Edward and Alice joined in although Alice still tried to look upset. She threw us our clean undamaged shirts and said, "Here put these on. The rest of the family will be here in 2 minutes."

"Thank you Alice," I said to her giving her mu sweetest smile. "You're welcome Bella, and you too Edward," she replied smiling. I knew I was forgiven. "Thanks Ali," Edward said buttoning his shirt. I groaned internally. I couldn't wait to see him shirtless again, run my hands over his chest going down to …

Edward's growl came from low in his chest. I looked up into his eyes and they were black as night. 'Soon my love, soon' he thought to me. I had forgotten about our minds being open to one another. Embarrassed I bit my bottom lip and looked down. Edward growled again starting toward me, 'You have no idea what you biting on your bottom lip does to me Bella. Let me show you.' he thought. God he looked good enough to eat.

Alice grabbed his arm and pulled him away just before he got to me. "Wooooh, down boy. Family in 3..2…"

"Holly hell Bella I didn't think you would ever stop running," Emmett said putting his hands on his knees breathing hard, pretending to be tired. I giggled.

"Awwweee you poor thing. Maybe you should sit down and rest for a little bit. Do you want me to get you something to drink? Deer, mountain lion, sorry fresh out of grizzly, plenty of rabbit though," I said to him in a mocking motherly tone, suppressing a smile. Everyone erupted in laughter. Emmett picked me up spinning us around in circles as he squeezed me in a bear hug. "Missed you little sis," he said as he put me down. "I missed you too big brother," I replied back to him.

Esme walked over to me grabbing my face in her hands, "You young lady will NEVER, I mean NEVER run away like that again! Understand?"

"Yes Esm… mom," I replied. Her smile at me calling her mom told me that I was forgiven. She hugged me as if she hadn't seen me in years. "I love you too mom," I said hoping that it would calm her a little.

"I apologize to everyone," I said looking around at all of my family.

"There were some things that I heard while I was changing that I misinterpreted. I didn't mean to…"

"It's okay Bella; we understand," Carlisle soothed as he hugged me next. "Just don't let this happen again. I don't want to lose a daughter," he said kissing the top of my head.

"Or a sister," Rosalie said stepping forward hugging me. "Thanks Rose," I replied close to sobbing.

"Welcome to the family Bella," Jasper said hugging me and sending me a wave of sibling love. "I love you to brother. All of you, so much." Alice bounced over to me hugging me. "Come on, let's get you home." Home sounded really good to me.

Wait, Home, Charlie. Oh God. "What are we going to do about Char… um my dad?" I asked panicking.

"It's already been done. He doesn't think you are dead or anything. He thinks that you and Edward ran away together and that we are looking for you," Alice told me as we started walking. Edward came up behind me wrapping his arms around my waist and whispered in my ear. "I have no problems making that a true story Bella." Alone! With Edward! Picturing what that would be like made me moan softly. Edward Growled.

"Hey, hey tone down the lust would ya," Jasper said smirking at me and Edward. "Huh, Oh sorry," I said looking down in embarrassment again. Edward moved to my side grabbing my hand and said "Come on my love, let's go home." With that we all took off running back to the Cullen House, I guess my house now too. Emmett of course teased us the whole time.

On the run back they filled me in on what had happened after I passed out. How they took care of the mess at Angela's house, disposed of James and came up with and put into effect the story about me and Edward running off together. They said the whole town knew the gossip already because it involved the Chief of Police's daughter and Dr. Cullen's son.

Rumors were flying all around about us eloping, and me being pregnant, or us being involved in drugs. The first two I could argue with, but the last I couldn't. Edward was and will always be my drug. I am completely addicted to him and will always be. 'As I am to you my love,' he thought to me. Oh, I keep forgetting that our minds are open to one another. This is going to get so embarrassing. I wondered how I could work on trying to turn it off. 'NO,' Edward thought shouted in a panic. 'Please don't close yourself off to me. After all these years reading minds, yours is the only one that I actually want to hear.' I squeezed his hand tighter, 'I love hearing you too. It was just a thought. I will need to work on it sometime thought you know that right?' 'I know, but just not right now okay,' he thought practically begging. 'Okay,' I replied.

It didn't take as long as I thought it would getting back to the Cullen house. I guess that going in a straight line does actually save time. As we approached the house, we had planned out where me and Edward would be staying. It had to be some place that no one would see me but also some place that was close to the family for now.

They of course had the perfect place. There was a small cottage on the Cullen land that was well hidden in the woods. They said that it needed work done but would work out for us nicely. I had to admit that I liked the idea of being able to fix up a place for the two of us to stay in. I would not only give me something to do, but would also give Alice, Rosalie and Esme a chance to show me how the Cullen women do things. I was positive that they would love helping me. 'They would Bella. Just don't forget about me,' Edward thought to me. 'Oh I haven't. You men will be clearing away all of the things we need outside,' I replied giggling internally. He pouted a little sticking his bottom lip out. God I wanted to suck on it. Before I did something that would embarrass me I thought to Edward, 'I could never forget about you.' He pulled the hand he was holding up to his mouth and kissed it thinking, 'You are my life now and forever my Bella.'


	13. Chapter 13

_**Chapter 13**_

We got all situated in the living room and Carlisle began the new discussion. "So Bella, on our way to bring you home, Alice informed us of something that is um, well incredible really. We would like to talk to you about it if you don't mind."

"Ok, um, sure," I replied wondering what it could be.

"We would like to discuss your encounter with the human," he spoke gently.

I began to panic; I didn't hurt the boy and not remember it did I? No I ran away I'm sure of it. A wave of calm spread through me, I looked up at Jasper and nodded in silent thanks.

"It's nothing bad Bella. Actually we are all amazed and very proud of you," Jasper said to me.

"But I was so close to letting you all down. I almost…," I whispered trailing off.

"Oh sweetie but you didn't. That is what matters." Alice told me emphasizing her words.

"That is the part we want to talk to you about Bella," Carlisle assured me.

"In truth you shouldn't have been able to resist. We were wondering how you did it. You were just days old. I don't think any of us, Carlisle included, could have resisted like you did," Jasper said to me.

"Yea, I totally would have lost it Bella. I remember when I came across my first human. I… OOOWWW what was that for Rose?" Emmett exclaimed. Rosalie had just smacked him in the back of the head.

"We're not here to talk about you. We are here to talk about how awesome our new sister is," Rosalie said smiling at me.

"Yes we are, Bella the floor is yours," Esme encouraged me.

"When the boys scent first hit me, I wanted…. I really wanted his blood. I didn't want to be a monster, murderer. So I told myself over and over that I could not, would not harm the human. I would not let the monster in me win. That is how I got through it. I didn't want to disappoint you all. I couldn't stand the thought of you thinking badly of me. I basically ran away from him and killed the first things that I came across. I drained three deer in about five minutes. That's when Edward found me," I explained to them. I was still ashamed about even considering ending that boy's life that I couldn't look up at them.

"Bella, there is nothing to feel ashamed about. You did amazing!" Jasper spoke with authority.

"You did Bella; I heard the boy's thoughts just minutes after your encounter with him. There was no fear at all. All his thoughts were of how beautiful you were and he hoped that you were going to be alright," Edward piped in.

He had been so quiet since we all sat down. If it weren't for his hand holding mine I would have forgotten he was here. I didn't even hear him in my mind. He pulled my hand up to his lips and kissed it. 'You had closed yourself to me love, as soon as Carlisle mentioned your encounter,' he thought to me.

'I didn't want you to be disappointed in me for almost…..' I thought but he interrupted me aloud.

"I would never be disappointed in you Bella. No matter what would have happened. I am actually in awe of you. Not only are you the most beautiful creature I have ever seen, but you are also one of the strongest. You were truly meant to be one of us."

Everyone quickly agreed with him. I was glad that I couldn't blush anymore. "I am so happy to be part of your family. Thank you all so much for accepting me," I told them sincerely.

"Bella come upstairs with Rose, Esme and me. We will help get you cleaned up and get you in some new clothes," Alice spoke excitedly almost bouncing over to me. The boys laughed and I groaned. I hadn't noticed that my clothes were dirty and had blood stains on them. Reluctantly and willingly I went with the women up stairs. I wanted to get cleaned up but I didn't want to be away from Edward.

After my shower I changed into the clothes Alice had laid out for me. (Black lacy undergarments, black yoga pants and a black tank top.) I wondered what had gotten into Alice. Why was she letting me wear something so…..normal? This was something that I would have picked out for myself. I would have to thank her. There was a knock on the door and she came bouncing in. "You're welcome. I wanted you to feel as comfortable as possible. Now let's see what we can do with that hair," she said pulling me along.

Uh oh I thought, what have I gotten myself into? From somewhere in the house I heard Edward chuckling to himself. 'Thanks for the support Edward,' I thought to him. 'You could come rescue me you know.' 'Soon love, I'm getting cleaned up too,' he thought back to me.

I then noticed that Alice's hair was wet. Duh, it has been a long few days for everyone. Why didn't I think that everyone would want to get cleaned up? Maybe becoming a vampire slowed down my observation skills.

'Not at all love. It's just overwhelming in the beginning,' Edward thought to me. 'Thanks, now stay out of our heads until we are done please,' I thought back.

'I can try to block them out but it works differently with us. I don't know how to block you nor do I ever want to. I promise I will block them, but please keep our connection open,' he thought begged.

I loved felling this close to Edward. We may not be in the same room but we were still connected. I wondered momentarily how far apart we could be away from one another with this connection still open. Edward chuckled, 'We can test that out as soon as you want.' 'Ok, and I will keep us connected. I love you.'

'Oh Bella I love you too, so much.'

"Can you stop talking to Eddiepooh for a bit? That dreamy look gives you away every time," Rosalie said laughing gently as she walked into the room with Esme following her smiling sweetly.

"If me and Carlisle could speak to each other that way I'm not sure that we would be able to accomplish anything," she said.

That statement set the stage for the conversation of the night. While doing my hair they took it upon themselves to give me the vampire version of 'the talk'. Esme assured me that the guys were having the same talk with Edward. I quickly apologized to Edward and told him I needed to close our connection, he of course understood completely.

It only took them five minutes to do my hair, but the following 45 minutes were some of the most embarrassing moments of my life. Why wasn't it like this when I was talking to Angela? Maybe because this was my family, I'm not sure. I tried to get out of it by explaining to them that I had 'the talk' with Renee every year since I turned 13, but they were insistent on having this talk with me.

None of them could remember clearly the experiences they had when they were human, save for Rosalie, but that wouldn't help in this situation. Alice more than likely didn't have any human experiences because of being in the asylum for so long. Esme's only clear human memories were of her son that died. They decided to school me in sexual experiences from a vampire perspective. I don't think that I could be more thankful that I couldn't blush than during this conversation.

**Rosalie**

"Okay Bella I can tell you right now that the intimate relationships between all of us are very different. Take Emmett an myself for example. We are what you would most likely consider the most animalistic out of everyone. Most of the time it is raw and rough, but there is also the sweet and gentle side, just not as often. But that's what works for us."

**Alice**

"For me and Jasper it is different. We can both anticipate what the other wants and needs because of our gifts, so neither of us ever goes unsatisfied. We also enjoy role playing quite a bit, though I wouldn't suggest it at first. You just need to enjoy each other for a while before doing anything like that."

**Esme**

"For Carlisle and me it is quiet, romantic and very loving. That is what we prefer. Don't get me wrong though, there are times that he just takes me with wild abandon and those are great, but we prefer loving one another as much as possible, it's who we are."

"Guys thanks for that really," I said dripping with sarcasm. "How is any of this going to help? Neither of us have any experience in this area. The farthest we have gotten was Edward kissing and toughing my breasts which got interrupted by Alice, 'Thanks for that by the way.' (More sarcasm) I'm afraid that we are going to just fumble through it awkwardly and it's going to be horrible. Well not him so much because everything he does is incredible. What if I'm no good at it?" I asked in fear. What would I do if he didn't enjoy sex with me?

"Bella sweetie, trust me on this. There is no way that you won't be good at it. You will BOTH enjoy it immensely. I'm sorry, I didn't want to see them but I did. I can't stop them once they start. Believe me when I say that you both will be glowing," Alice said quickly.

"Think of it this way Bella, Even if neither of you were good at it to begin with, practice makes perfect my dear," Esme said lovingly.

THANK GOD I CAN'T BLUSH ANYMORE! I screamed in my head. I had so many questions but I didn't know who or how to start asking.

QUESTIONS:

1. Will it hurt?

2. How much will it hurt if it does?

3. Since I am a vampire virgin will it hurt every time?

4. How long should sex last?

5. How often can we have sex?

6. Is there such a thing as too much sex?

7. Should I wear anything special? (I threw that in for Alice's benefit.)

8. What does an orgasm feel like?

9. Would I know if I had one?

10. Is there vampire birth control?

11. Last but not least: What position feels the best?

"Ok Bella, I have seen this conversation so I will spare you as much embarrassment as I can and just answer your questions," Alice said.

1. Yes at first but it goes away fairly quickly.

2. Nothing more than you can handle.

3. No it won't.

4. As long as you want, we are vampires and don't get physically tired.

5. As often as you want.

6. No, never too much.

7. "Thank you; and yes I will pick it out, though it is not necessary.

8. Like your body is on fire and exploding in a very, very good way.

9. You will absolutely know when you have had one.

10. No because we can't reproduce.

11. That one you are going to have to decide for yourself in time. Personally I love 'saving a horse.'

"Oh my God Alice," I said looking down at my lap completely embarrassed. "Thank you for those answers but you could have left out that last part."

"Couldn't resist the look on your face sweetie," she replied patting me on the top of my head.

"Up against the shower wall for me," Rosalie piped in laughing.

"I prefer doggy style myself," Esme said quietly.

"Go Mom!" Rose and Alice shouted together giggling.

God I love this family, my family. I couldn't imagine trying to have 'the talk' with Charlie. Have I mentioned how much I love that vampires can't blush?


	14. Chapter 14

_**Chapter 14**_

The rest of the night spent with the girls wasn't quite as embarrassing. They told me some funny stories about the men that happened over the years. Some of them I think I could use against them one day.

**Rosalie's story of Emmett**

"OK, this happened on our 14th honeymoon down in Brazil. We had been staying in a small bungalow out in the middle of the rain forest. We made sure to go at a time of year when there wouldn't be very many people around. On our 8th night there we decided to go for a quick hunt. After bagging and disposing of my panther I went to find Emmett. When I got to him he had just finished draining his tiger. He was getting ready to dispose of the animal when I notices that about 200 yards away there was a huge gorilla watching him intently. This gorilla must have been watching him the whole time very quietly because Emmett hadn't even noticed it was there. I whispered to him letting him know that he was being watched. He looked over to it and at first I thought that he was going to hunt the creature but he didn't. He just stared at it for a moment. Then the gorilla charged at him and tried to tackle him. At first I thought that it was attacking him because we were in its territory but I was wrong. Now being vampires there are very few things that can take us down so Emmett had no problems wrestling the animal to the ground. I was sure that he was going to drain the animal but what it did next shocked the hell out of us both. The gorilla put a hand on Emmett's cheek and gently pulled his head towards her and started grooming him. You know checking his hair for bugs and what not. Once Emmett realized what the animal was doing he looked up at it then quickly backed away from it. I asked him what the problem was and he said that he couldn't kill it because it didn't feel right. I told him that I would do it for him but he refused to let me. We went back to the bungalow and the next day we noticed that the gorilla was close by watching every move Emmett made. It was creepy at first until the grounds keeper noticed the behavior of the gorilla. He explained to us that the gorilla was behaving that way because it saw Emmett as its mate. For three days that thing followed Emmett around. He got attached to the gorilla because that's the way he is and ended up naming her Bertha. We ended up coming home early because he felt bad for the thing. So somewhere in the Brazilian rain forest there is a gorilla pinning away for that lug of a husband of mine. Now you all know why I call him my monkey man."

By the time Rosalie finished her story we were all rolling on the floor laughing hysterically. I was glad that breathing was no longer a required because I think I would have died from lack of oxygen.

"Now the guys don't know about this and I expect to keep it that way," Rosalie said to us once we calmed down. I was sure that I could figure out a way to make fun of Emmett without tipping the boys off to the details of the story, or just use the information to torture him without letting him know I knew the story.

After we settled down a bit from Rosalie's story I looked over to Esme who had a look on her face like she was contemplating something. "Come on mom, I know you have a good one for us," I goaded hoping she would share it with us.

**Esme's story of Carlisle**

"Ok. I do have one I can tell you. One night when the family was out hunting I decided to come home early because I missed Carlisle. He had a late shift at the hospital that night so when I got home he was in the shower. I snuck into the house making sure to make no noise so that I could surprise him. This was in the late 80's when all those big hair bands were around, but imagine my surprise when I opened the bathroom door and Carlisle started singing one of those band's songs."

"I'm the one they call Dr. Feel good. I'm the one that makes you feel alright. I'm the one they call Dr. Feel good. I'm gonna be your Frankenstein."

"I did surprise him but not in the way I originally intended. I started giggling. I told him that he did know how to make me feel good. Then I explained to him the meaning behind that song, needless to say, he never sang it again," Esme said finishing her story. Just picturing Carlisle singing a Motley Crue song made me laugh. Then I pictured him with one of those big hair dues and I completely lost it. I am so going to be using that one against him at the first opportunity.

**Alice's story about Jasper**

"Alright ladies, I guess its Jasper story time," Alice said bouncing excitedly. In 1994 me and Jasper went out to see a movie. True Lies. It was actually a pretty good movie. So here we both were really getting into the movie when Jasper starts to sob uncontrollably, causing the people around us to stare. I asked him what was wrong and he didn't know what was causing it. We got up and left. When we got to the door of the next theater room he stopped dead in his tracks. He went into the room and there were no less than 150 kids bawling their eyes out. They had all come on a class trip to see The Lion King. The movie was at the part where Mufasa dies and Simba was calling out for help so of course the emotions in that room were horrible for Jasper. When we finally got out of the theater I laughed so hard that had I been human I would have peed myself. He certainly didn't find anything funny about it. To this day he refuses to watch that movie," Alice said finishing her story in a fit of giggles.

When we calmed down from Jaspers story the three of them looked at me expectantly.

**Bella's story of Edward**

"Well as you know me and Edward haven't been together very long so I'm sure I don't have anything that good on him yet. I do have one but it isn't as good as yours, I told them feeling silly for the story I was about to tell.

"This happened about two months after he and I got together. We were at my house watching the movie Stand By Me. Well when the movie was at the part where they were punching each other for flinching I got the brilliant idea to see if I could make Edward flinch. I grabbed the TV remote and was pretending that I was going to throw it at him. I kept flicking it at him and around the fourth time I did this it slipped out of my hand and hit him in the face, shattering into pieces. But I had noticed that just before it hit him he did flinch ever so slightly, probably out of shock that I had really done it. So I told him that I was going to get one of you to give him my two for flinching because I didn't want to break my hand. He of course distracted me so I forgot all about it until now. Now I can give it to him myself," I said immediately regretting the insinuation of that last sentence because all the ladies started giggling. "Anyway, the funniest part of that story for me was that Charlie searched for the TV remote for three days before Edward replaced it. He actually refused to get up and change the channels himself, so he left it on the sports channel the whole time," I told them finishing my story. "Like I said not as good as yours, but it's all I've got so far.

_**{This is an actual true story taken from real life experience. I was trying to make my husband flinch using a TV remote and it slipped out of my hand hitting him on the bridge of his nose creating a cut about ¼ of an inch. I felt really bad at the time but now it is just funny as hell.}**_

Chapter 15 will more than make up for this short filler chapter.


	15. Chapter 15

_**Chapter 15 **____**LEMON (Finally I know)**___

_****Please if you are not of age to read this skip to chapter 16. Contains sexual content.****_

It was Friday night. Me and Edward just returned from hunting. I had two deer and a moose. Needless to say I was full. I had been getting better at hunting thanks to Edward. He is a very patient and informative teacher. When we reached the Cullen house there was a note tapped to the door.

_**~Went hunting for the weekend. Be back on Sunday afternoon. Have fun!" Love Alice, Rosalie, Esme, Jasper, Emmett and Carlisle. **_____

Of course my mind immediately started going through scenarios for us to do together. I quickly made sure the connection between Edward and myself was closed.

"I'm.. uh going to go take a shower," I said and ran as fast as I could to our room.

I gathered everything that I needed and escaped to the bathroom just as I heard the bedroom door open.

"Bella, I am going to shower in the downstairs bathroom," Edward called through the door.

Did I really want him to go? No not really. What I really wanted was for him to barge through the bathroom door and take me against the shower wall. "Okay," I meekly replied. If I were still human my voice would have been shaky. As I heard him enter the bathroom downstairs I turned on the shower and stepped in. The warm water did nothing to calm my nerves the way it did when I was still human.

Think Bella! This is Edward. This is what you want. It's no big deal. NO-BIG DEAL yeah right. Edward - naked - sex. Oh God what if I'm no good? What if he is repulsed by my body? Ok, STOP Bella. Thinking about things this way is clearly not helping matters.

Can a vampire hyperventilate? Calm down Bella. Breath deep and slow. Where is Jasper when you need him? I think I'm having a nervous breakdown over something as silly as sex.

After the water went cold I finally pulled myself together somewhat. I turned off the water and stepped out of the shower to dry off. When I got dry I wrapped the towel around myself so I could blow-dry my hair. I was about halfway through drying my hair when I noticed a note lying on the bathroom counter.

_**~Bella, DON'T YOU DARE WEAR YOUR NORMAL NIGHT CLOTHES. I have an outfit for you and YOU WILL WEAR IT! If you don't I will see. **____** Alice **_____

Next to the note was a small box with a bow on top. 'Do I really want to open this,' I thought to myself. Trust Alice Bella. When I opened the box and took out the contents I was pleasantly surprised. There was a pair of sexy black boy shorts and an elegant black nightgown with a floral print. It was sexy without being trash. I could do this.

I quickly finished drying my hair and slipped into the boy shorts and nightgown. I looked sexy and I knew it. I was just really hoping that Edward liked it as well. I guess it's now or never right. I took a deep unnecessary breath and let it out slowly.

Opening the door slowly I noticed a soft glow coming from the bedroom. Looking around I noticed there were candles all around the room softly illuminating the room. I could hear soft music playing in the background. On the bed there were white rose pedals sprinkled over the comforter. If my heart were still able to beat, it would be beating out of control. But I am sure that the sight I took in next would have stopped my heart.

There standing by the window was my Edward dressed only in a pair of black men's lounge pants. OH MY GOD! He is so gorgeous. Even though his back was to me I could see that he was fairly muscular. He may not be one of those IRON MAN muscle men but he was most certainly muscular.

At my gasping of breath he turned around. 'Oh My God this man's body is going to kill me,' I thought.

''That is what I was just thinking about you love,' he thought back to me. Well there goes the mental block.

Edward started slowly walking towards me, his eyes growing darker with each step he took. "You are without doubt the most beautiful creature I have ever seen," he said aloud.

Momentarily unable to speak I thought, 'And you Edward take my breath away.' When he reached me he reached up with one of his hands and caressed my cheek thinking softly; 'Bella.' My hands drew up and ran up his cheat slowly until my arms were wrapped around his neck and my fingers were running through his hair. In that moment all my fear was gone; replaced by love, lust and desire for the man in front of me; the man that owned me mind, heart, body, and soul.

"I love you Edward," I said as I stood on the tips of my toes bringing his head down to mine so I could kiss him. Ghosting my lips over his I continued to speak. "So much. There aren't words to express how much I love you, how much I need you."

"I know Bella. I can feel it. It's the same for me. I wouldn't survive without you," he said pulling away slightly so he could look into my eyes. "This isn't how I wanted to do this but; marry me Bella, be mine forever."

"For eternity and beyond my love. Yes I will marry you," I replied. Then I remembered a poem that I had read not long ago while I was still human. I spoke it softly to him as I began dragging my lips across his chest and neck with kisses.

_**Eternal love by: Tracy Renee Shierling**_

_**I wonder if I dreamed of you-**_

_**if you would appear?**_

_**To make my nights full of love,**_

_**And always hold me near.**_

_**I wonder if I thought of you-**_

_**if you would feel it in your soul?**_

_**Like two spirits in the universe,**_

_**who always seem to know.**_

_**Even if the stars went black,**_

_**and the sun were to shine no more.**_

_**They could find their way to each other**_

_**no matter how far the shore.**_

_**Safely in each other's arms,**_

_**to bid the rest of time.**_

_**Finding Eternal Love**_

_**so many seek to find.**_

_**Caring for each other,**_

_**through the worst of storms.**_

_**Leaning on the arms of love, **_

_**and never need anymore.**_

_**This is how I feel for you,**_

_**I've known it all along.**_

_**You are my one true love,**_

_**My world…My Heart…My Soul!**_

When I finished the poem he cupped my face in his hands, bent his head down and captured my lips crushing his to mine with an intensity that I never dreamed possible. My fingers found their way to his head entwining themselves in his hair. It was so soft, easily one of my favorite things to do with my hands; so far.

His hands slowly made their way down my neck making me shiver with desire. Then he gently ran them along my shoulders and down my arms taking the nightgown straps with them. The gown slid down my body dropping to the floor.

He pulled me close to him so that our chests were touching, and then wrapped his arms around my back, all the while slowly walking us closer to the bed, never breaking the kiss. The things this man could do in my mouth with his tongue were mind boggling. I hope he is as good with his tongue elsewhere. Edward groaned loudly 'All in good time my Bella. I plan to touch, kiss, lick and worship every inch of your beautiful body.' He thought still kissing me. Now it was my turn to groan/moan. I had forgotten about our connection again. Being with Edward this way made me forget everything else in the world existed.

When we got to the bed he pulled me up and placed me in the middle of it so that I was lying on my back and he was hovering over me. My arms made their way down his shoulders and I pulled him to me. I felt his body pressed against mine and the state of arousal he was in pressed up against my center causing me to break our kiss. "Oh God," I moaned loudly, my breathing coming out as almost panting.

Once our kiss broke Edward trailed his kisses down my neck while propping himself up on one elbow leaving his other hand free to begin cupping my breast in his hand. He moved his kisses down to the other breast and took the nipple into his mouth sucking hard. This action caused me to rock my hips against his making us both moan in unison. He moved his mouth over to the other breast repeating his actions causing the same result. Then he began slowly trailing his kisses down my stomach, past my navel, across my abdomen making sure every inch of skin was covered in kisses from hip to hip.

He lifted his head to look at me, "Bella?" I looked into his eyes which were now pitch black. "May I?" he asked gently tugging at the corner of my boy shorts indicating what he wanted. Nervously I nodded my head for him to proceed. Logically I knew that now that I was a vampire I had a beautifully toned body, sculpted to perfection by the change. Yet still I felt insecure about being totally nude in front of Edward. What if he didn't like what he saw? He has seen thousands of images throughout the years of the naked female form, not to mention those he has seen of other female vampires. If he didn't want them, then why would he want me? Because he loves you, you dope. You can see it and feel it every time he looks at you, or touches you. Let these childish insecurities go. Throughout my internal monolog Edward remained silent focusing on what he was doing. He had my boy shorts off and was staring at my body as if he was in awe.

"Oh I am in awe of your perfection my love. You are the most beautiful creation in all the world, and I am so thankful you are mine," he said picking up one of my legs kissing my ankle. "Yes Edward, I am yours; forever," I replied basking in the feelings he was stirring in my body.

True to his word, Edward took his time kissing, licking and worshiping my body from head to toe, adding the occasional nip and suck here and there. Finally after what seemed like forever he turned his full attention to where I wanted it most. At first contact I was taken completely by surprise, gasping loudly. That all disappeared as soon as I felt his tongue circle my nub slowly before sucking gently on it causing my hips to lift off the bed as I cried out in pleasure. Never before had I felt such pleasure. He continued his licking and sucking all the while there was a pressure building in me that desperately needed to be released. I didn't know what this pressure was or how to release it but Edward was doing a damn good job getting me there. My moaning and writhing became frantic as I approached my final destination. As I climaxed, reaching the first orgasm of my life, I screamed out his name. (Alice was right, I would absolutely know what an orgasm was once I felt one; and OH MY GOD, I wanted to feel that again, and again, and again.)

As I lay there panting coming down from my high I felt Edward kissing his way up my stomach, between my breasts, pausing there to pay attention to each before continuing up to my collar bone, up my neck, across my jaw, and finally to my lips. I kissed him back with so much emotion that I thought I would burst. "My God Edward, that was…that was…the most amazing thing I have ever felt in my life. Thank you, thank you, thank you," I said showering his face with kisses.

"You are more than welcome my love, I'm glad you enjoyed that," he said kissing me long and hard. Speaking of hard, I could feel the evidence of his arousal pressing against my inner thigh. Still kissing him I thought 'Edward, make love to me. I need you so much.' He moaned into my mouth 'God Bella I need you too,' he thought back. He reached down with one hand aligning himself to me. Breaking the kiss he looked into my eyes, "This is going to hurt a bit. The last thing I want to do is hurt you but it is unavoidable the first time. I'm sorry."

"I know Edward, its ok. Make me yours," I told him grabbing his hair bringing his head down to me kissing him feverishly.

I felt him enter me slowly a little at a time pulling back and going in a little further each time, slowly stretching me. He continued until he reached the barrier of my virginity. With no warning and one quick thrust he fully entered me breaking through taking my virginity and me taking his. He stilled inside me apologizing for the pain he had caused. It did hurt, but not as much as I had expected. I guess the burn while changing altered my pain barometer. We lay there this way for a moment until all discomfort subsided.

Looking into Edward's eyes with him filling me this was made me feel complete. I rocked my hips against his signaling him that it was ok for him to move. He began moving in me slowly, hesitantly, not wanting to cause me anymore pain.

"Oh my God Edward. You feel so good inside me," I panted out into the room. I couldn't believe that feelings like this were possible. I know that what Edward and I share is intense but this was something that words just couldn't describe accurately.

"Oh my Bella, I love you so much. I never knew. God I never knew that it could be like this. You feel so…" he trailed off moaning at the feelings that were coursing through him. In response I moaned and ground my hips into him creating more friction between us.

We spent what seemed like forever grunting and moaning as he moved within me. With our connection we could both hear and feel what the other was feeling as well as our own feelings. Then I started feeling that familiar pressure building in my body and I knew that I was getting close to release. From what I could feel from him he was getting close as well.

A moment later we were both panting heavily and yelling out each other's names as we both climaxed together. We lay there panting, holding one another as we came down from our highs. He pulled out of me slowly causing us both to moan at the feeling it created. We both lay there on the bed holding onto one another enjoying the afterglow of our lovemaking for an hour or so before either of us could even form a coherent thought.

We agreed that the bliss we were feeling right now was something that we would want to repeat, and often. With that said we did just that. We made love again, and again, and again until the sun was high in the sky marking mid day on Saturday.

Showering together was quite the experience. We took our time washing and caressing one another until things became too intimate. I don't think that I would ever get enough of Edward. I wanted to feel this close to him all the time.

Making love to Edward is the best feeling in the world but the primal, animalistic way that he took me in the shower was an experience that I wanted repeated. He claimed his mate and I liked it a lot. It made me feel empowered knowing that he couldn't control himself long enough to make it back to the bedroom. As a result we would have to replace some of the tiles in the shower as well as the water knobs that I had demolished when I grabbed them in an effort to contain my own need to claim him in return. That is something I would do soon enough. For now I was content to let him be the one in control of our lovemaking for the time being. We continued making love until the imminent return of his family was at hand. We then cleaned up in the guest bathroom separately so there wouldn't be a repeat of destruction. Then we waited on the couch holding one another until his family returned.

Surprisingly there were no teasing remarks coming from Emmett. There were only looks of happiness coming from everyone. I guess knowing that we were so happy made them happy as well. Jasper it seemed had the biggest smile out of everyone because he could not only feel his own happiness but everyone else's as well. There was only one comment made of our exploits of the weekend made by Alice of course.

"Don't worry; the parts are on order already. They will be here tomorrow. You can fix it yourselves," she said as she took Jasper's hand and headed up to their room.

I was embarrassed but it could have been worse. I am sure it will be once Emmett starts in on us. From the looks he was giving us it would be sooner rather than later. Edward nodded his head at me in agreement.

The family went about getting themselves cleaned up from their hunting trip and Edward and I decided to go for a quick hunt to give them some time.

_**A/N: If you liked it leave me some love. If not, sorry to disappoint.**_


	16. Chapter 16

_**Chapter **__**16**_

When things are good, when you are happy, time seems to move in fast forward. Well I must be very happy because the past 4 months have flown by in a flash. These were the best months in my life. Edward assures me that they are the best in his long existence. At the top of his list was the night we made love for the first time, **mine too**. Second was when I agreed to be his wife just moments before that, and that was second on my list as well.

Third would be the night, two months ago, that he presented me with my engagement ring that belonged to his mother. It was perfect, not only the ring but the way he presented it to me and put it on my finger.

**FLASHBACK ~~**

The day started out like any other. We were all getting ready to go hunting with the family for the weekend. Alice said that she and the family wanted to show me and Edward something before we all headed off. Alice being Alice made us wear blindfolds, and ridiculously be carried so we couldn't figure out where we were going. She also instructed the family to block out Edward so he wouldn't know either.

We ran for over an hour until they finally said that we had reached our destination. We were placed on our feet and positioned just right, according to Alice it had to be the perfect angle. When our blindfolds were taken off we were both speechless. It was the cottage, our cottage, and it looked absolutely amazing. We had been totally engrossed in one another that we had forgotten about fixing up the cottage for ourselves. It never crossed our minds because we were so happy and content.

"Thank you," I whispered to them grabbing Edward's hand and squeezing it. He as it seemed was still too shocked for words. "When? How did you…" I started before being cut off by a very excited and hyper pixie.

"When we would all go on hunting trips to give you some, _ALONE TIME_, we would spend a couple of hours here fixing things up so we could surprise you. So **SURPRISE**!" she said jumping up and down a little. If she were human I would swear that she had to go pee. Edward chuckled beside me at hearing that thought.

"Welcome back my love," I said to him wrapping an arm around his waist.

"This is - - - wow, thank you all so much. It's amazing," he said letting go of me and going where Esme and Carlisle were standing. "Mom you have truly outdone yourself," he told her kissing her cheek.

"Oh pish posh, you haven't even seen the inside yet, no come on lets us give you the tour and then you can thank us," she said grabbing his then my hand pulling us through the front door of the cottage.

We were only in the first room of the cottage and it was already perfect. We had no need for a kitchen so they had knocked down the walls and made the living room larger. The paint was light and it was decorated in a way that reminded me of my time in Phoenix with my mother. In the corner sitting on one of the end tables I noticed that the cactus that I had brought with me from Phoenix was sitting in front of a picture of my mother and Phil, next to that was a picture of Charlie. If I could still produce tears they would have been falling down my face. I missed him so much. I missed my mother and Phil as well but Charlie now held a more special place in my heart. I guess what I missed the most was what our relationship could have been given enough time. Now that I have an infinite amount of time it seems unfair that I didn't have the time to get to know my father better. Somehow I hoped that there would be a way to let him know the truth about me and the Cullen's, maybe someday. 'We will see my love,' Edward thought to me as he wrapped his arms around my waist. 'Thank you,' I thought back to him.

I could hear in Edward's mind that he hated how hard letting go of my old life was going to be. I hoped that he could understand that while it was going to be difficult, as long as I had him I could get through anything because he was my everything.

As we went through the cottage taking in each room I felt overwhelmed and awed by the loving nature and generosity of my new family. They had captured the essence of both me and Edward throughout each room, combining them into one. The cottage was perfect. This family had achieved something that I didn't know was possible. I finally felt like I belonged somewhere. "Thank you all so much, this is…this.. Wow this is just the most perfect home. Thank you," I said to them as I went around the room giving my family hugs, as Edward did the same. He was also awed by the gift from the family.

After giving the family my love I guided myself towards the baby grand piano that sat towards the back of the large living room. Before I could stop them, fantasies of the things that Edward and I could do on this beautiful instrument flashed through my mind. A gasp brought me out of my impromptu thoughts. I spun around and looked into Edwards eyes which had turned black with lust. 'I'm sorry, I couldn't help it. I will save those thought for when we are alone,' I thought to him with a small internal giggle. Mentally he growled at me which made me giggle out loud. Of course the family noticed. "This is absolutely perfect, I am so happy," I said trying to cover up for my giggle. It seemed that everyone but Alice and Jasper bought it. They just smirked at me and let it go, for now anyway.

We all gathered in the living room and visited for a couple of hours before we decided to set off on our hunt. We all got up to leave when suddenly Edward spun me around and fell down to one knee in front of me. "Isabella Marie Swan, you are my life, my heart and my soul. I loved you before I knew you, and now that I do, I don't want to spend a day parted from you. I cannot exist without you. You are the best part of me. You have made me the man I was meant to be, you've completed me in a way that I never thought was possible. Will you make me the happiest being in existence and say that you will be my wife from now through eternity?"

He presented me with an antique ring that was the most beautiful ring that I had ever laid eyes on. I reached out and cupped his face in my hands.

"My love, I have already agreed to be your wife. There is no choice for me but to be by your side for eternity. I am so glad that we are blessed with eternity because one lifetime to love you in would not be enough for me. Without you I would be a shell of what I was meant to be, you are everything to me. I already belong to you and I will love you throughout the ages and beyond. YES I will be your wife," I answered him.

He slipped the ring on my finger while speaking, "This ring belonged to my mother, it is one of the few things that I have remaining from my human life. There is no one that I would entrust this to but you my love." Then he kissed the ring that he placed on my finger.

The family had gathered around us by then and applauded. Edward got to his feet, picked me up and spun me around. "I love you so much Bella. Thank you for choosing me," he said in earnest. "You silly vampire, there was never a choice, like I said **I BELONG TO YOU**," I told him just before I placed a searing kiss on his lips. A kiss which quickly started to turn into something else, one that began to turn into something more. God I needed this man NOW!

Somewhere in the background I heard someone clear their throat, "OK I think that is our cue to skedaddle. We will see you two in a couple of days," Alice said while she ushered the rest of the snickering family out of the cottage. I should have felt bad about the display that I put on in front of my family, I should have felt bad about them having to leave in haste the way they did, but to be completely honest at that moment I just didn't care. The only thing that mattered was that I was in the arms of the man I pledged to spend eternity with. We spent a long time wrapped around one another making love. When we finally resurfaced it was Thursday. We didn't really know where the time went or how it got away from us but we didn't really mind having the time to ourselves. The family graciously left us to ourselves. I think being mated couples they understood the need we had to be alone.

**~~ END ****FLASHBACK ~~**

Now the girls and I are in the middle of planning the last details of the wedding. At first I just wanted to go to Vegas or something but I was positive that Alice would never forgive me for doing something she would deem to be a heinous act. It was decided that our wedding was going to be a small affair. The family would be in attendance with Carlisle giving me away, Jasper as best man, Alice as my maid of honor, Rose and Esme as brides maids and Emmett as the groomsman. Carlisle invited the Denali coven because they were considered to be extended family, they were the only other coven they knew of that shared their diet and regard for humanity. Eleazer, the head of the coven would be the one officiating the ceremony.

Part of me wanted Charlie to be the one to give me away for the simple fact that he was my father. I know that it was not completely his fault that he was not that involved in my life before. My mom was the one who decided to leave him and drag me with her. Even with that knowledge I still held resentment towards him and my mom for me not getting to know my father more. Growing up part of me just thought that he would have cared more and tried harder if I were a boy. Every father wants a son. The Cullen's were my true family. I had finally found somewhere that I truly belonged and was surrounded by people who I love and who love me unconditionally. Carlisle was a true father in every sense of the word. Esme was the mother that I had always longed for. I finally had brothers and sisters, and now have a man who will love me until the end of time. I couldn't be happier.

We still had been sending post cards and emails to my mother and Charlie every other week or so. That way they would know that I was ok. Carlisle and Esme would go visit Charlie or talk to him on the phone every once in a while, keeping up the worried parent façade. They had finally calmed him down enough that he no longer wanted to kill Edward or lock me in the basement. They had made him remember what it was like to be young and in love. He couldn't really argue the point because he and my mother did the same thing only she was pregnant with me. Alice said that the post cards and emails were the only thing keeping Charlie from putting a nationwide search out on us.

She assured me that his future was happy.

The wedding was in a few days and I thought that I would be nervous, but I'm not. There is only longing and excitement. I cannot wait to become Edward's wife, forever. One really great thing was that my eyes now matched those of the Cullen's. After discussing the cause for them to turn so quickly, it was decided that it was due to the frequency of hunting caused by the expenditure of the energy that Edward and I were generating through our newfound physical relationship. Again this was another reason for me to be thankful that I was now a vampire and couldn't blush.


End file.
